California health officials began inspecting a local Subway food chain after a woman claimed she found the remnants of a half-inch human digit in her hoagie. Subway officials are also looking into the origin of the foreign object, hoping the claim is a hoax.

The woman's claim in reminiscent of a particularly damaging accusation levied at a Wendy's franchise last year. That incident, the old finger in the chili scare, turned out to be a hoax, but it cost the food chain an estimated $2.5 million in bad publicity and sales, a company spokesperson claimed.

Two health inspectors arrived at the Subway sandwich station on Thursday and found that no employee had lost their finger.

According to Jill Yaeger, director of the Madera County Environmental Health Department, the object was sent to a laboratory for testing and a police report was filed.

"The Subway restaurant chain takes every customer comment seriously," said Subway spokesman Kevin Kane. "We don't know what the foreign object is yet."

Subway's national headquarters is said to be investigating the incident.

After the Wendy's incident turned out to be a hoax, the husband of the woman who made the claim was sentenced to 12 years for purchasing the finger from a co-worker who had lost the digit in an accident.