Mother: Hey kid, eat the dead worms, lots of protein... so they’re safe...

The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) says that at least 27 brands of canned fish being sold on the market have been found to be contaminated with threadworms.

Although the agency said that the worms would most likely have been killed by sterilisation in the factories, they could still cause asthma, allergy and skin disease if consumed, and is calling on producers to recall the products immediately.

Health Minister Nilai Moeloek meanwhile has asked the media not make a fuss over the issue and tried reassure the public by saying that consuming the worms would not cause ‘too many problems’ because ‘The worms actually contain protein... so if they’re cooked I think they’ll be sterile. God willing they won’t make you ill’.