Family finds catheter in ice cream and have to be tested for HIV

The family members need to undergo weekly tests for at least six months

A Canadian family found a catheter in their store-bought ice cream and now have to be tested for HIV and hepatitis. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A Canadian family found a urinary catheter in a store-bought ice cream container, forcing them to be tested for hepatitis and HIV.

Jean Francoeur of Quebec and his family were celebrating the birth of a grandson over a tub of Coaticook's caramel pecan ice cream when he spit out a bit of plastic.

It was part of a full catheter they found in the container.

Neither of the other family members, his son Samuel and Samuel's mother-in-law Carol-Anne Christofferson bit into any bits of the medical device, but they did eat the ice cream and all rushed to the hospital.

Each of the family members has had to give blood samples received preventative treatment for HIV and hepatitis A, B and C.

Unfortunately, full test results will not be available for six months and in the meantime the younger Mr Francoeur and Ms Christofferson will be tested monthly and the new grandfather Jean will have to be tested weekly.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed it is investigating the incident, "and told the BBC that no threats to health were identified at the ice cream production facility after an initial inspection," the BBC reported.

"We have so many internal controls here and in food production in general that having something like that show up in a food item, it is not normal," a Coaticook spokesperson told the CBC.

The local ice cream maker Coaticook is looking at surveillance footage from its facility from the date it was made, which was stamped on the container.