A FATHER claims his six-month-old son could have choked on a large piece of plastic he said was found in his baby’s food.

Jack Whitchelo, from Basildon, claims the plastic was just seconds away from being eaten by son Hunter when he spotted it.

The 25-year-old dad, who had bought the jars of Cow&Gate baby food from stores around south Essex, has alerted the company.

The firm says it is investigating.

He said: “I found the thick piece of plastic in my baby’s food when I was feeding him the other night.

“It was on his spoon seconds from going in his mouth. It could have killed him.

“I am currently in talks with Cow&Gate so they can investigate it in case any other local baby’s food is defective.

“I’m worried it could land them in hospital or even worse.”

Mr Whitchelo bought many jars of the food from stores in Pitsea and Canvey due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic so was unsure where the particular jar came from.

He had been buying more jars due to the increase in people panic buying goods from stores across the county.

His son is being fed food from seven month plus jars due to how advanced his eating has become, on medical advice.

The baby food firm has since confirmed it is investigating the incident but there is not a need for wider concerns from other buyers.

A Cow&Gate spokesman said: “We’re sorry to hear about Mr Whitchelo’s experience.

“We always want our products to reach parents in the best possible condition and we thoroughly investigate every complaint.

“Our seven months + jars are made in a highly controlled and hygienic environment.

“Our ingredients pass through a range of quality control processes such as sieves, filters and visual inspection before being cooked in an enclosed line.

“We’ve spoken to Mr Whitchelo about his concerns and we’ve already started our investigations.

“We can confirm that our factory and our quality control tests were operating correctly at the time the jar was produced.

“We have also had no other confirmed findings of plastic in this product with this packing date.

“We’ll be keeping in touch with Mr Whitchelo and will up-date him with the results of our current investigations.”