The LaRocque family's daily treat of instant soup turned into a nausea-inducing trick on Halloween when they found several dead maggots mixed in with their chicken-flavored noodles.

The instant noodles, a college-staple that go for about 30 cents a pack, were speckled with half a dozen maggots the family didn't even notice against the similarly colored noodles until they had already consumed a package, Collene LaRocque said.

"I know people eat worms in different countries but that's just disgusting," said Joseph LaRocque, her husband.

Collene LaRocque said her 10-year-old son forced himself to throw up after spotting the larval insects on his food, "he was so grossed out."

The family returned two cases of beef and chicken noodles to the Smart & Final on 10th Street.

"We got all the product off the shelves and sent an e-mail to corporate," said Jose Mendoza, a senior assistant at Smart & Final. "As soon as we heard about the problem, we took it off the shelves. We need to make sure that the product is always right with no problems."

Mendoza said he expected a new shipment of the noodles on Wednesday.

Jack Wiese, an investigator with the noodle manufacturer's insurance company, said he received the claim from Smart & Final and began investigating the claim immediately.

"Maruchan is receptive to any claim that they receive," Wiese said of the noodle manufacturer.

Still, the LaRocques wants other Ramen lovers to remember to check their noodles before enjoying them.

"We'll never eat it again," Collene LaRocque said. "I couldn't eat anything else for the rest of the day.

The family preserved the dried larvae in plastic bags and submitted samples to both Smart & Final and Maruchan.