Easter eggs recalled after customer says they found rocks inside

The Warehouse Group says an investigation is underway

One of New Zealand’s largest retailers has removed a batch of Easter eggs from its shelves after a customer claimed they discovered “rocks” inside the chocolates earlier this week.

In images shared to Facebook, the customer said “several rocks” were found inside the Easter Bunny Ears with Mini Eggs in a store of The Warehouse Group in Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

“Very hard and it concerns me that a kid could find the same and break a tooth,” said customer Tasha Taylor. She said the store in question asked her to bring the eggs back.

A statement from The Warehouse Group confirmed an investigation into the incident is underway.

“We really appreciated this customer letting us know about this issue straight away. We have removed the product from our shelves as a precaution while we investigate this further,” The Warehouse’s Ryan Murphy said.

“We take the safety and quality of all our products very seriously and follow rigorous processes and audits”.

“Customers who have purchased this product and are concerned are welcome to return it to their local store for a refund.”

Ms Taylor told 1News that her local store had taken the product back to be sent away and tested.

“They were super apologetic and very lovely when I went in. No complaints about them at all”.

Over the weekend, an Auckland resident found an airgun pellet inside an Easter egg he bought from a Pukekohe’s South Countdown (Woolworths) supermarket.

“My partner and I got a packet of Cadbury's Pinky Marshmallow Eggs just as a little Easter treat,” Karl Evans told Newshub.

“I was just chewing away on one side, and I felt something hard...What about those kids who eat these eggs? They could choke, and it would be so dangerous if that got lodged in their throat,” he added.

Vincent Arbuckle, deputy director-general of New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS), on Monday said, “Early indications from Woolworths are this may have happened due to pest management activities for birds, although this is yet to be confirmed ... There are strict protocols for using air rifles for bird control, and we will be looking into this as part of our investigation”.