3cm beetle larva found in Haagen-Dazs ice cream

A close-up of a beetle larva found in the Haagen-Dazs ice-cream and the gift certificate the company gave the complaining customer. Courtesy of online community “Ppomppu”

By Jung Hae-myoung

A customer has found a three-centimeter beetle larva in a Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

The man took the insect to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for examination, which concluded it was a beetle larva.

The man said the company tried to cover up the incident by offering him gift certificates.

He posted a detailed log of what has happened on online community “Ppomppu.”

General Mills, the U.S.-based parent company of the ice cream maker, admitted it was a worm that came into the product on strawberries. “The foreign matter is a larva introduced by strawberries,” it said.

The customer said: “The ice-cream was manufactured at a factory in France and confirmed by Haagen-Dazs headquarters.”

He demanded an apology from Haagen-Dazs Korea.

He also claimed Haagen-Dazs gave him gift certificates worth 200,000 won to hush him.

General Mills told The Korea Times: “We take this matter very seriously and are cooperating fully with the MFDS (Ministry of Food And Drug Safety) in the investigation into the case.” It also apologized.