Woman finds finger in Wendy’s chili

No, it’s not an urban legend. Yesterday, a woman at a Wendy’s in Santa Clara, California put a spoonful of chili in her mouth, paused, and spit out a human fingertip. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Martin Fenstersheib said today the woman was horrified “due to the unpleasant sensation of having this (object) in her mouth….”

The restaurant at 1405 Monterey Highway was temporarily closed Tuesday night to allow health officials to impound the remaining chili, which was prepared on site, using a variety of ingredients. Health officials also seized all of the restaurant’s remaining stock of ingredients, which will be inspected, and traced back to their manufacturer.

Since all of the workers at the restaurant were in possession “of all 10 of their fingers,” health inspectors assume the finger likely entered the food chain as a result of the manufacturing process, according to county Environmental Resources Director Ben Gale.