A family in Canada will need to be routinely tested for HIV and Hepatitis for the next six months after they claimed they discovered a catheter in their tub of ice cream.
According to the CBC, Carole-Anne Christofferson of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada purchased a tub of Laiterie de Coaticook’s pecan nut, chocolate and double caramel ice cream to celebrate a birth in the family. But the celebration quickly turned dark when one family member bit down on a hard piece of plastic.
"He put it in his mouth and found the tip of syringe," Christofferson told Radio-Canada.
The family later learned that the piece of plastic was an intravenous catheter — the plastic link between an intravenous line and a patient’s body, according to the Montreal Gazette.
According to the CBC, the catheter also had a dark substance on the tip — a substance the family believed to be either blood or caramel.
The family quickly made their way to the hospital to be tested for HIV and Hepatitis A, B and C. They will also need to return regularly for the next six months to make sure they are disease free.
The Montreal Gazette reports that Jean Provencher, the owner of Laiterie de Coaticook, has sought an investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency following the incident. The CFIA confirmed to the Montreal Gazette Tuesday that they would be conducting an investigation.
According to the Montreal Gazette, Provencher claims that a review of surveillance videos showed nothing suspicious during the production of the particular batch of ice cream, and claims the catheter would have been broken up into pieces if it had entered the plant’s machinery.
Christofferson told CBC that her family has filed a formal complaint against Laiterie de Coaticook and is considering legal action against the company.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
