Louise McLaughlin from the Waterside bought the Tesco Disney children's ready meal, complete with Mickey Mouse ears packaging, at Lisnagelvin on Monday.

She says she was half way feeding her one year-old daughter the chicken, sweetcorn, rice and peas dish when she discovered the 'snail'.
"It was awful," Louise told Foyle News.

"It was the first time I'd ever bought this product. I put the container in the microwave to heat it and found the snail after giving my daughter a few spoonfuls.

"I went back to Tesco to complain.

"I want to know how something like this ended up in a dinner. It's bad enough you could find this in an adult's dinner but to almost give it to your child is terrible."

The Derry mother says she wants to warn other parents who might buy the ready meal.

Ms. McLaughlin has now handed the Mickey Mouse container and 'snail' to the Environmental Health Department at Derry City Council.

When contacted in relation to the matter, a spokesperson for Tesco said: "We are always disappointed when a product fails to meet our customers' expectations and we take any complaint very seriously. The quality and integrity of our food is of paramount importance and we will work with our supplier to undertake a full investigation."

A spokesperson for Derry City Council said it was also investigating the matter.