Tomato crawling with 'worms' leaves shopper 'grossed out' – until sudden realisation

A health food fan was left 'super grossed out' after spotting their tomato was 'full of worms' – until they made a realisation.

The unnamed shopper said they had been appalled by what they saw until they realised the vile-looking white items emerging from their fruit 'weren't moving'.

The Reddit user posted a snap of the tomato to the r/Weird subreddit, showing off the fruit. They captioned the post: "I cut into this tomato and thought it was full of worms. But it’s actually sprouts!

"I was super grossed out until I realized the 'worms' weren’t moving lol. Weird, I’m 68 and have never seen this before."

READ MORE: Tesco shoppers desperate to try brand new Lindor flavour – there's just one problem

READ MORE: 'Best-kept secret' summer destination has pink beach, turquoise sea and ancient ruins

People were quick to comment on the discovery, many of them in awe, while others were inspired by the find. One person wrote: "You know, if you plant all of those and sell them for a dollar each you can become a millionaire?"

Another agreed: "I read that all you need is a patio and a million tomatoes and you’re set for life." Meanwhile a third added you could actually eat the sprouts. They wrote: "Most people I know think these are weird and gross, but I say you lucked out! Tomato sprouts are delicious!"

A fourth, who clearly knows their way around a tomato, explained why the original poster might never have seen this phenomenon before. They explained: "It's a genetic mutation that appears in some fruits. Most fruits have an enzyme in them that prevents the seeds from spouting while inside the fruit.

"Generally the seeds need to be removed from the fruit or it has to rot, the enzyme breaks down at that point, triggering the seeds to spout if the right conditions are present

"On occasion a plant will development a mutation and it lacks the gene to produce this enzyme in the fruits. And this is the result!"

"Wow, thank you for that info!" replied the poster.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.