Valley family claims finding needle in Farmer John hot dog

Francisca Mendoza, of Indio, says she made an easy-fix lunch at home to take to the Salton Sea for her and her father on Wednesday. Before taking a bite she found a shiny and sharp surprise wrapped in her tortilla.

“When I tried to cut the weenie, it was something hard. I was in shock,” said Mendoza.

Her daughter Ada Heintz says it was, “A big needle. Almost about two inches long.”

Heintz warns the 2-inch sewing needle was in one of her mother’s Farmer John Jumbo Beef Franks that she bought at the Super Target in Indio.

“My mother was very nervous. She was scared. She didn’t know what to think,” said Heintz.

Heintz then called the Farmer John customer service hotline.

“They just said, ‘We’re sending you a packet, throw the weenies away and send the needle,'” said Heintz.

In return, she and her mother say Farmer John offered to give them coupons, but the problem exceeds free coupons.

“Any of us could’ve bit into one of those weenies or cracked a tooth, or swallowed it. Who knows where that needle’s been?” said Heintz.

They’re asking the company to look into it, take the beef franks off the shelves and ultimately, ‘I just want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.'” said Heintz.

We asked if Mendoza would continue to buy the links. Her answer was clear.

“No. This is my favorite, but no more,” said Mendoza.

We tried contacting Farmer John for a statement and its protocol in these situations, however, we are still waiting for a response.