A student at Sheehan High School in Wallingford found a worm in a fruit cup served for lunch earlier this month, according to school administrators.
Wallingford Supt. Salvatore Menzo said the student raised concerns to school staff after discovering the insect March 16.
School officials brought it to the attention of the food distributor, which looked into the issue and issued an apology.
"Organic matter of this type can appear from time to time in the processing of fresh fruit into canned fruit," Northeast Marketing Vice President Brian Durno wrote in the letter, adding that it's a consequence of limited pesticides and the high volume of production.
"We can assure you that because of the high heat used in the canned cooking process, there is no danger of any foreign organic material surviving," Durno said.
The school system sent the worm to a state lab for testing. Results came back saying "the larva shows morphology consistent with having been cooked. Therefore, the worm was cooked with fruit and canned with the fruit."
Northeast Marketing, the company that supplies Wallingford schools with Sysco foods, apologized in a letter to the school system last week.
"I can assure you that we will fully investigate the incident with our factory and will expect a full accounting from the Quality Control Officer there," Durno wrote.
Durno urged the school system to return the unused fruit cups and said Northeast Marketing would credit the town for the food that was already eaten.
Menzo said officials believe the incident to be isolated, adding that it's the first in 22 years. The school system serves more than 3,000 meals per day and 500,000 per year.
