'Very graphic': Coles shopper disgusted after chicken purchase

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A Coles shopper has been left shaken after a disturbing item floated to the top of a bone broth being prepared on the stove.

Amber Burton and her husband were preparing their meal on Monday with some chicken necks they had earlier purchased from Coles in Gympie, Queensland.

Little notice was paid to the necks when they were added to the mix but as the concoction bubbled away, something particularly alarming caught the couple’s attention.

“I was making a bone broth and my husband put the necks in the pot without me looking,” Mrs Burton told Yahoo News Australia.

After about an hour, the head of a chicken “started floating to the top”.

“It must have been hidden in the very middle because it wasn't until it had been boiling for an hour, and we stirred it that it started floating on top,” she said.

“My husband saw it and I didn't actually see it very well because I looked over and saw the beak and exited stage left.”

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In a post to the retailer’s Facebook page she shared a censored image of the dead bird in case people were sensitive to “very graphic” content.

Mrs Burton said even her country upbringing did little to prepare her for the morbid experience.

“I'm normally pretty good with that sort of stuff, but a half cooked chicken head sticking out of my pot when I wasn't prepared for it was a shock,” she said.

“I guess it's lucky it didn't happen to someone who maybe wasn't as accustomed to the realities of where our meat comes from.”

The couple got in contact with Coles and were organised a refund, Mrs Burton said.

“I think some people use chicken heads and feet to make broth, but I didn't really know if the head was as clean/sterile since it wasn't actually meant to be in there,” she said.

The broth containing the head was thrown away and a second batch was made with a second pack of necks purchased at the same time.

A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia they were investigating the incident.

“Coles takes the quality of all our products seriously. We have spoken to the customer and will follow up with our supplier to investigate the matter.”

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