Woolworths: Shopper discovers ‘spiky’ and potentially toxic leaf inside their salad
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Another spinach scare when the Woolies buyer makes a horrifying discovery inside his salad: “I hope I’m still alive tomorrow”
- A shopper found a spiked leaf inside his salad
- They bought baby spinach leaves at Woolworths
- Supermarket says it has launched an investigation
A distraught shopper panicked after discovering a sharp and potentially toxic leaf inside his bag of Woolworths mixed salad.
The client sought help online to identify the suspect leaf after making a salad with baby spinach on Saturday.
“Can anyone ID this quill leaf I bought from the Woolworths baby spinach package?” they wrote in a post on Reddit.
“I found this when I had almost finished all the salad, hoping to be alive tomorrow.”
They took to the Internet to find out if the ‘spiked’ leaf (pictured) could be poisonous shortly after making a salad with the baby spinach leaves on Saturday.
A Woolworths spokesperson told NCA NewsWire that the suspicious-looking spinach leaf had been noticed by their investigation team (pictured, a Woolworths store in Roselands, Sydney)
Most users said the leaf was part of the Solanum family, also known as nightshades, of which some varieties can be extremely poisonous to humans.
The plant is commonly found on the trunks of trees or shrubs and sprouts small purple flowers and bright red berries during the warmer months.
“I suspect it’s Solanum Prinophyllum, or one of several Solanum varieties,” one user theorized.
‘Solanum Prinophyllum is native to Australia and found on the east coast. Fairly common and grows in disturbed soils.
“The shape of the leaf can look a bit like a rocket, so it’s easy to miss if you’re growing between rockets. It probably grew a plant every time the rocket was grown and some was accidentally harvested.
Most users said the suspect leaf (pictured) was part of the Solanum family, also known as nightshades, of which some varieties can be extremely poisonous to humans.
The user said that some varieties could be “quite poisonous” to humans.
Another said the buyer had dodged a bullet as the plant could be “highly toxic.”
“I think this is from the nightshade family, the fruit is poisonous and I’m sure the leaves are no better if eaten, you’ll be right unless you eat some,” wrote another.
The husband is a horticulturist. He says it is a nightshade species and you should 100% report it as it is poisonous and some forms are deadly,” said a fourth.
If nightshade leaves are ingested, consumers may experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Gardeners are urged to wear gloves while handling the plant.
A Woolworths spokesperson told NCA NewsWire that the suspicious-looking spinach leaf had been noticed by their research team.
The discovery comes just weeks after a nationwide spinach recall after a child was hospitalized for eating a toxic batch of spinach (a bag of Woolworths brand spinach leaves pictured).
“We take food quality and safety very seriously and are disappointed to see this customer’s report,” he said.
“We have passed this on to our vendor partners for further investigation and have received no similar reports.
“If our customers have concerns about the quality of our products, we encourage them to contact their local store for a replacement and refund.”
The discovery comes just weeks after a child was hospitalized for eating a toxic batch of spinach.
Up to 100 people in Australia are believed to have fallen ill after eating the contaminated product, including a Queensland boy in December.