Woman finds part of finger in Wendy's chili

Sheriff's Deputy Terrance Helm said the 20-year-old woman ordered a bowl of chili and actually bit into the cooked fingertip.

"She was a bit grossed out and vomited numerous times,'' health Officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib said. "She was emotionally distraught.''

Health officials revealed that the fingertip was approximately one and one-half inches long. A fingernail was also discovered.

San Jose police officers responded to the scene and took possession of the digit, preserving it until health officials could examine the find.

The finger was considered to be fairly well preserved and did not show major signs of decomposition, according to Fenstersheib.

Health officials report the finger appears to have been torn off and not sliced with a knife, indicating it was possibly severed by a machine during the packaging process.

Despite the obviously unpleasant nature of the discovery, the health risks are being considered minimal.

Fenstersheib said the chili was cooked at 170 degrees and served on a steam tray at 150 degrees, temperatures high enough to destroy any viruses such as HIV or Hepatitis.

If the woman did contract any of the viruses, they would likely not show up in her system for six months.

Fenstersheib said a baseline test was conducted on the woman to determine if she had any diseases prior to contact with the finger, as doctors will await the six-month incubation period to determine if she contracted anything.

She will likely have one year in order to file a lawsuit in the case. Health officials are beginning their investigation into determining the owner and origin of the finger. The chili is made on-site at the restaurant, using several ingredients from a variety of companies.

Fenstersheib said investigators are tracing back all the ingredients to their respective companies and then analyzing records to see if there were any reported accidents associated with the packaging plants.

The chili base was made in Dublin, Ohio.

Tracing the source of the ingredients could take several weeks, but investigators believe they will be able to match the finger due to fingerprints.

The chili was cooked between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, meaning there are a number of patrons who could have eaten the product.

An inspection by health officials yesterday at the restaurant revealed there was no accident on-site.

"The employees all had ten fingers,'' environmental health Director Ben Gale said.

Though health inspectors did find one minor violation there was no evidence that the restaurant was at fault.

The restaurant was temporarily shut down directly following the discovery, but has since been reopened.

Gale said in 35 years of service in the health department, he "has never seen anything like this."

Wendy's officials released a written statement saying they are "committed to determining the facts and getting to the bottom of this matter very quickly."