Man finds bugs in bag of beans

Dubai: A tourist was disgusted to find live bugs crawling in a sealed packet of beans.

He had bought the dried white beans two weeks previously. The expiry date is next year.

After reporting the infestation to the manufacturer's customer helpline, he was outraged when told that it was a good thing.

The tourist, B.S., said: "I rang the number to complain and they told me it was a good thing that bugs were eating the beans, because it meant the food was tasty. They said the food was organic and they don't use pesticides."

When he returned the packet, which was crawling with around 100 live bugs, to the shop at the Mall of the Emirates where he had bought it, he was told that the problem must have been with the storage in his house.

B.S. said: "I was very angry when the manager said it was a problem with my house because the packet was sealed. He offered me a replacement or a refund, but I refused."

The manufacturer, Shama Food Industries, said storage conditions could have been to blame.

Giri Nair, director, Shama Food Industries, said: "We don't use any chemicals when packaging our products. It's a very clean procedure. Things happen that are out of our control. For example, the bug could have gotten in and stayed in the packet, but only started hatching when the moisture or temperature went up in someone's home. We believe in natural products without chemical contamination."

The complainant will be reporting the case to Dubai Municipality.