Sichuan restaurant serves up lamb, with added maggots

A group of diners found unwanted extra protein in their roast lamb Tuesday, after they allegedly discovered live maggots squirming in their lunch.

A branch of Baguobuyi Sichuan restaurant in Guomao, Chaoyang district, apologized to customers and said it would take responsibility, reported the Beijing News.

Health authorities are investigating the allegations, and said the restaurant might be downgraded from an "A" rating to a "B" rating as a result, Chaoyang District Health Bureau told the Global Times Wednesday.

A diner, surnamed Liu, and some friends were eating lunch when they discovered the squirming maggots, said the Beijing News.

"When we opened the tinfoil, we found dozens of maggots wriggling underneath, which is so disgusting," Liu told the paper. No one ate a maggot, the report said.

"We cancelled the bill for their meal and offered to pay any medical fees in case any of the diners need medical treatment in the two weeks after this meal," said Wang Yuhui, the general manager for the chain in the Beijing region, adding that they are still waiting for a response from the diners.

Zhou Zijun, a professor at the School of Public Health of Peking University, said that it takes a while for maggots to grow.

"Maggots hatch from eggs, normally laid near a food source for the larvae, usually rotten food and garbage," he said.

"In this case, a dish with live maggots is likely to be leftovers, and was not properly heated before being served," said Zhou.

This is not the only recent maggot case.

In May, diners alleged they found maggots at a restaurant in Hepingli, Dongcheng district, reported the Beijing Morning Post.

The manager of the restaurant, which was not named, instead of apologizing immediately, attempted to destroy the evidence by eating the maggots.

While the manager later apologized, no compensation was made, the report said.