What appeared to be a piece of bad potato in a tray of curried chips from a takeaway turned out to be a cockroach, Dublin District Court was told yesterday.
Ms Susan Lyons reported the incident to her local health authority, which prosecuted the takeaway for selling food unfit for human consumption.
Annuziata Cafolla, Mespil Road, Dublin, was fined £500 plus costs for the incident, which occurred last September.
She denied the charge and claimed the cockroach may have come in a supply of curry powder.
The court was told the takeaway was inspected shortly after the incident but an environmental health officer found no evidence of a cockroach infestation.
Judge Peter Smithwick said the owner had to take responsibility if a "stray cockroach" went unnoticed when food was being prepared.
