Frito-Lay sued over alleged metal objects in chips

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A woman has filed suit against Frito-Lay and Costco for at least $50,000, charging that the Ruffles potato chips she ate contained some objects such as straight pins or needles that led her into surgery.

Zahra Kashani became "acutely ill" after eating the chips nearly two years ago and had to have surgery to remove "multiple pins and needles" from her esophagus and stomach, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.

Kashani is suing Frito-Lay, the maker of Ruffles chips, as well as Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP and Costco Wholesale Corp <COST.O>, the chain where she bought the chips.

According to the lawsuit, Kashani bought the chips containing "foreign metallic objects" at Costco's Lake in the Hills, Illinois store, and ate them on or around May 17, 2009.

Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo Inc <PEP.N>, declined to comment saying it has not seen a copy of the suit yet.

A Costco representative could not be immediately reached.

The case is Kashani v. Frito-Lay Inc et al, Illinois Circuit Court, McHenry County, No. 11LA176.

(Reporting by Jessica Wohl, additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by Carol Bishopric)