UpdateHuman tooth and filling found in french fries served at McDonald's outlets in Japan

A human tooth was served with french fries at a McDonald's in Japan last year, reports said yesterday, the latest in a series of recent woes involving contaminated nuggets and a chip shortage.

A customer complained to the Japanese arm of the fast food giant after finding foreign matter in a serving of potatoes from an outlet in Osaka, television networks said. The item had apparently been deep fried.

Independent investigations ordered by McDonald's determined that it was a tooth, broadcasters said, citing the results of the probe. A statement from McDonald's given to the woman, obtained by a television station, said the object was "believed to be a tooth".

"I received an apology only when the store manager came over," the customer, whose name was not revealed, told the JNN network. "The manager didn't really talk about how it got in and what action they will take in the future.

"I have a small child and it terrifies me to think that they could have eaten it and choked," she said.

The store manager who visited her said the tooth had been "fried", she reportedly said.

The Asahi network said it was not known how a tooth could have been mixed with the fries.