MADE IN CHINA? The well-travelled carved pear found in a can by Southland woman Wendy McMahon. Her attempts to complain have gone pear shaped.

The face carved in a pear fished out of a can by a Southland woman may be the handiwork of a factory worker in a Chinese processing plant two years ago.

That is the only answer the manufacturer and supplier of a can of Budget Pear Halves can give Otatara woman Wendy McMahon about the find that spooked her more than a week ago.

Since discovering the pear, with two eyes, a nose and a mouth etched into it, she had battled with Ora Robinson, a spokeswoman for the company listed on the can, Safeway Traders Ltd, for her complaint to be treated seriously, she said.

At Ms Robinson's request she sent the pear to Auckland on Thursday for the manufacturer, Heinz-Wattie's, to investigate.

Ms Robinson phoned her the next day and read her a letter that conceded that during production the pear halves were checked by people at the Chinese plant as a quality control measure.

She then offered her a $30 voucher, Mrs McMahon said.

When she refused the voucher, Ms Robinson accused her of money-grubbing, she said.

"I asked her to send the pear back."

Yesterday, the pear arrived back along with two letters.

The first, from Ms Robinson, says: "As you have declined vouchers for $30 for the inconvenience – I am unable to assist you further."

The second, from Wattie's quality assurance manager Steve Thompson, labels Mrs McMahon's complaint as "unique".

"... That has never occurred before."

Mr Thompson admits there was a potential window for the pear to be carved when staff checked the fruit after it had been peeled and sliced in the automated manufacturing process and says the find is "unpleasant".

"We understand it is unpleasant to open a can and find such a problem."

Mrs McMahon said her concern was the potential for other food to be sabotaged.

"If this can happen in the factory, what else can happen?"

Calls by The Southland Times to Safeway Traders Ltd yesterday went through to voicemail.

Late yesterday, a woman who did not identify herself called back and said she was transferring the call to a representative of Foodstuffs Auckland.

That call went through to voicemail, before a spokeswoman called back last night saying she was unaware of the case and was not the person who needed to be spoken to.

Meanwhile, another Southland family has also had a lukewarm response after findng caterpillars living in muesli bars.

Winton woman Cassandra Robertson discovered the larvae in the Mother Earth muesli bars she had packed in her children's lunches when they brought them home unopened.

Ms Robertson told TV3 she called the 0800 number listed on the pack, but didn't get a sympathetic ear from the company's spokeswoman, who said it was a common occurrence.