Tim Hortons and Ottawa Public Health are investigating after an unsuspecting Ottawa customer reached into her box of Timbits this week and found a pill among the doughnuts.
Gillian MacDonald said she and her friends had already eaten a few Timbits by the time they came across the clear capsule, containing brown powder, on Wednesday.
"We opened the box, starting eating, noticed that there was a pill in it, and from there we were completely outraged," MacDonald told CTV Ottawa. "How does this happen? Imagine what could have happened. Imagine if a child got hold of it. There are so many worst-case scenarios."
MacDonald said she bought the doughnuts at a downtown Ottawa location. On Thursday, a day after the incident, a regional manager was at the restaurant to investigate what happened.
Tim Hortons also released a statement about the issue.
"We are taking this very seriously and the matter is currently under investigation," Tim Hortons spokesperson Michelle Robichaud said in the statement. "The safety of our guests is of utmost importance to us and as such, we have significant control measures in place to assure their well-being."
Ottawa Public Health is also looking into MacDonald’s find, and have launched an investigation of their own.
"When there’s any type of foreign food substance, certainly, we’re concerned and we want to investigate to make sure public safety is not compromised," spokesperson Craig Calder said.
MacDonald said she hopes the capsule will be tested to determine if the powder inside is dangerous.
"I definitely want to know what it is and make sure that this never happens again because Timbits are such a common treat and who knows what could have happened," she said.
With files from CTV Ottawa's Natalie Pierosara
