Raisins pack creepy crawly surprise

Varun and Naina Menon found meal moth larvae in a raisin box. Photo / Jason Dorday.

A woman became ill and her family say they won't be eating Pams raisins again, after finding larvae crawling in her breakfast.

Vrinda Menon, an IT worker, said her 11-year-old daughter Naina made the find in a box of raisins on Good Friday.

Menon had bought the Pams packet, containing 36 boxes of raisins, at Pak'nSave Botany within the past month.

Vrinda was eating cereal, with raisins over it, when her daughter opened another box and saw the larvae inside.

Auckland Museum entomologist John Early said the bugs were meal moth larvae which, judging by their size, had been in the raisins when bought.

Vrinda said she suffered after eating the raisins. "I'm glad it was me and not my children who got sick," she said.

She tried to call Pams but got no answer and left a message. "At first I thought [the larvae were] dead and called the 0800 number on the packet. But while I was speaking I could see [one] crawling," she said.

Foodstuffs Own Brands general manager Dave McAteer said Pams was "extremely disappointed" and Menon might be entitled to a refund.