‘Tooth’ find in chocolate almond may be dental implant, lab tests suggest

Detailed summary

A New Zealand Food Safety investigation has revealed what the suspected tooth-like item found in a chocolate almond was. Last month an Auckland woman bit into a chocolate almond…

An Auckland woman claims she bit into a chocolate almond containing a human tooth-like object. Photo / Irene Atia

A New Zealand Food Safety investigation has revealed what the suspected tooth-like item found in a chocolate almond was.

Last month an Auckland woman bit into a chocolate almond containing what she suspected was a “rotten human tooth”.

Irene Atia was enjoying the Atkins Endulge Chocolate Almonds but one felt hard, and she spat it out. To her horror she discovered a small, yellowed, tooth-shaped object with dark staining and red flecks.

She said it appeared “rotten” and had two red stains that seemed like dry blood.

New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy director-general Jenny Bishop said results of a laboratory analysis could not conclusively identify the mystery object.

“Although the look and chemical composition suggest a possible dental implant or related dental material, this cannot be determined conclusively,” Bishop said.

Atkins’ parent company, The Simply Good Foods Company, told the Herald it concluded its investigation and shared the findings with New Zealand Food Safety and the consumer.

Bishop said that while this was a “highly unusual situation”, New Zealand Food Safety’s investigation determined there was no evidence the object presented a wider food safety risk to consumers.

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