A Las Vegas grandmother was shocked to find a dead mouse in a package of organic spinach she purchased at her local Walmart branch, putting her at risk for a host of potentially fatal infections.
Rumiko Bosa-Edwards, 65, was rinsing vegetables in her sink when she saw what she thought was dirty and poked it with a spatula.
When she noticed the animal’s red eyes, she realized that the pest was in fact a dead mouse.
It’s unclear how the mouse got into the spinach, which is still sold under WalMart’s own Marketside brand.
The red-eyed mouse was sitting lifeless in her sink when Ms. Bosa-Edwards called Walmart about the incident, but the store did not answer.
Ultimately, she decided to take her surprising discovery to the staff at her local Walmart, who offered her a refund.
Mrs Bosa-Edwards initially thought the mouse in her spinach was dirty and tried to push it aside with kitchen utensils
The spinach is still on Walmart shelves and is billed as washed and ready to eat
Mrs Bosa-Edwards told it Las vegas review diary that she always washes her vegetables, a habit she says was instilled in her in childhood.
The lesson came in handy last week when she found the dead mouse among the spinach leaves.
Mouse feces are known to contain a range of viruses and bacteria that can cause a range of diseases, from hemorrhagic fever and fatal salmonella poisoning to leptosperosis and monkeypox.
A Walmart spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our customers is always our top priority, and we are working with our supplier to investigate this alleged incident.”
Ms. Bosa-Edwards said Walmart employees did not answer her repeated calls and eventually brought the dead mouse to the store
Mrs Bosa-Edwards said the store did not take her contact information and has not contacted her since she went to the store. The spinach is still on the shelves.
She said: ‘Underneath the words baby spinach it says ‘WASHED AND READY TO EAT’ which left a bad taste in my mouth.’
Since then, she has disinfected her sink at least three times.
Her experience is not entirely unusual.
Last year, Sam Hayward, 39, from Britain claimed he had already started eating his Chinese takeaway when he allegedly saw something moving at the bottom of his bowl.
Mr Hayward, who runs construction company Hayward’s Building and Contractors, said he initially thought the rodent was a large mushroom before noticing a ‘tail’.
Ms. Bosa-Edwards said she is considering suing Walmart.