Sainsbury's shopper discovers TOAD inside bag of parsnips - 'We could have been poisoned!'

"I dropped my scissors and screamed. I had a bit of a panic attack. I couldn't work out what it was," Bennett told the MailOnline.

"I was screaming and jumping around the kitchen and my husband and son came to my rescue.""It was shocking. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I am traumatised by it. It's taken me days to get over it. He looked like he was smiling when I first saw him," she added.

"I called them and they said wait for an email. I've not had much joy yet," she said.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We have strict quality control measures in place to prevent this type of thing from happening and are investigating this rare experience with our supplier."

"I've been put off Sainsbury's for a while. Their quality control can't be very good," Bennett added.

This is not the first time Sainsbury's has faced such an incident. Previously, a live frog was discovered in a sealed bag of watercress, spinach and rocket salad purchased from their North Clapham store.

Maddie McIvor, who found the amphibian in her £1.30 salad bag, said: "I was so surprised and my housemate just didn't believe me."

Karen Bennett, who is a charity worker, made the shocking find while preparing a Sunday roast dinner after purchasing the Taste the Difference British Heritage Baby Parsnips from the Sittingbourne Sainsbury's store

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The frog was later released into McIvor's garden, and Sainsbury's offered her a £20 Nectar points voucher as compensation.

Bennett took Nippy to a wildlife centre where the toad is now recovering.

"They had a pad ready with mealworms," she said. "I've asked for updates and he's looking stronger now than when I first saw him, which is wonderful."

Bennett plans to visit Nippy in the spring before he is released into the wild.

"Lots of people have been asking. It's a happy ending for the poor little fella!" she added.