A high school water polo athlete from Arroyo Grande, California, got way more than she ordered when she looked down at her Chipotle burrito bowl and saw a live beetle crawling through it. Morgan Devens filmed the whole thing and posted it to TikTok, where commenters quickly identified the intruder as a Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle, an invasive species that’s been hanging around Southern California since 2003 with no natural predators to keep it in check.
Before you swear off burrito bowls forever, the FDA actually permits small amounts of insect parts in food. The reasoning is that eliminating them completely would require pesticide levels that would be worse for us than the bugs themselves. It’s the kind of fact that’s weirdly comforting and deeply unsettling at the same time. Chipotle, which runs more than 4,000 U.S. locations and leans on fresh local produce, hasn’t addressed this particular video, but Devens says the experience made her want to avoid the chain.
The comment section did not disappoint, by the way. One response summed up the entire mood:“Man if you don’t plug that alien out there and finish that $18 meal.”Have you ever found something unexpected in your takeout? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.