A vegan childcare worker says he was left feeling sick to his stomach after receiving real ham on a pizza that was supposed to be plant-based.

Patrick Hukins, from Sydney, ordered lunch from Domino's on Monday, but quickly realised something was wrong when he starting eating the supposedly vegan meal.

'I had a horrible sinking feeling. I had eaten an animal. Not eating animals has become a core part of my belief system,' Mr Hukins told Daily Mail Australia.

'I felt shame and pain for the animal. And felt guilt for having unknowingly consumed a product that goes against my endeavours to reduce my environmental footprint as well as harm to other animals... I was shocked.'

Mr Hukins said he was repeatedly reassured it was not real ham, so ate the entire pizza - and became ill shortly after.

'I felt betrayed. I have been vegan for 4 years, and having eaten an animal against my knowledge or consent has real thrown me off as I feel my values,' he said.

A Sydney man was sick to his stomach after receiving real ham on what was meant to be a plant-based pizza on Monday

Domino's released a new range of pizzas which contain meat replacements. Despite checking multiple times, Patrick Hukins was told the ham on his pizza was fake

Mr Hukins said he messaged Domino's on Facebook, where he was told the company would 'honour' the rebuttal of their employees, despite the customer providing pictures showing the ham was different.

A spokesman for Domino's Australia told Daily Mail Australia they were deeply regretful of the error, and encouraged others to speak up if there was ever an issue with their order.

'We would like to publicly apologise to our customer,' he said.

A spokesman for Domino's said the company wanted to issue a public apology to Mr Hukins (pictured)

'This was an inadvertent mistake, which will be used as a learning opportunity for our team members.

'Domino's has a 100 per cent customer satisfaction guarantee, and each of our team members works hard to deliver meals that meet our customers' requirements, including specific dietary needs.'

Mr Hukins said he was offered a voucher by the chain restaurant, but that it would not cover the cost of a replacement plant-based pizza, only a traditional one.

The spokesman said Domino's is 'one of the largest sellers of vegan food in Australia' and prided itself on the array of choice it was able to provide.

'We have specific procedures in place for customers with vegan or allergen requirements, including using fresh gloves and cutting blades for their order.

'Because of these procedures, we have received positive feedback from customers on our vegan range.

'But in a busy store environment we know that mistakes, though uncommon, can happen. Where this is the case, our local store will refund or remake the order as soon as possible.'