SA man finds caterpillar in Coles veggies

An Adelaide man has turned his nose up at the prospect of a caterpillar stir-fry after discovering the little pests crawling in a rotten capsicum.

Matthew Wilson says he found the larvae on Monday in a capsicum he bought from a local Coles store.

"Just cutting it open because we were making a bit of stir-fry, and there were three caterpillars having a great time in there ... the whole middle of it was more rotten than anything," he told AAP after posting a picture of his discovery on Facebook.

But Mr Wilson took the find in his stride, thanking Coles for their "indeed fresh" produce.

"I would like to thank you for providing me with groceries that are indeed fresh ... I've never had chicken caterpillar stir-fry, though I don't think I will," he wrote on Coles' Facebook page.

In a similarly light-hearted response, Coles told Mr Wilson it was thrilled to see the caterpillars were "safe and sound" and said it would replace the capsicum.

"We're glad they're safe and sound in their new home. We hope the joy of being new foster parents to this army of caterpillars brings you much warmth this winter," it wrote on Facebook.

Coles declined to comment further when contacted by AAP.