Disgusting sight at Woolworths leaves Aussies nauseous: ‘Care to explain?’

A shopper was left with stomach churning at Woolworths after discovering bags of lemons on sale despite them being covered in a thick layer of mould.

Footage of the lemons was shared on social media this week, with claims it was filmed at the supermarket’s Bass Hill branch, in Sydney’s south-west.

“Woolworths, the fresh food people,” the woman said, holding up one of the bags.

The bags say ‘the strange couple’, which the supermarket uses to designate fruit and vegetables that may not look quite perfect, but are still perfectly edible.

They are sold at a discount compared to regular products. It is unclear how long the moldy lemons were in the display case.

Commenters on the video were shocked that the products had been kept on sale.

“Would you like to explain what’s going on here, Woolworths? Why would you put that on the shelves?’ someone asked.

‘Is there something wrong with the way you store fruit and vegetables? I buy carrots from you and they wither within 2-3 days, but the bagged carrots that we buy in bulk for our pub can stay there for a month and still look beautiful.’

“That’s what happens when you keep citrus in the refrigerator and then display it unrefrigerated,” says another.

“I saw this once on blueberries from Woolworths, every container had mold in it,” said a third.

‘Go to a local greengrocer, it’s cheaper and of better quality and fresher,’ suggested a fourth.

“Why do avocados always break three days after purchase,” added another.

According to consumer organization CHOICE, supermarkets often keep their fruit and vegetables refrigerated, so that the products are available all year round.

They do not have to indicate the date the fruit or vegetables were picked.

According to the group’s survey of 1,000 consumers, customers at growers’ and farmers’ markets were significantly more likely to be satisfied with the freshness of their fruits and vegetables: 92 percent.

Aldi’s customers were 80 percent satisfied, and Coles and Woolworths both had 73 percent customer satisfaction.

“Freshly harvested apples can be kept for at least a week in a fruit bowl on the kitchen bench,” according to CHOICE.

“But apples stored for 10 to 11 months and bought in the summer can lose flavor and texture after just one day, according to Stephen Morris of independent horticultural research firm Postharvest Fresh.”

Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia the store in question quickly removed the products when customers complained.

“Our team is working hard to maintain our high standards in stores, and we are very disappointed to see this,” a spokesperson said.

‘Once this was brought to the attention of our store team, they quickly removed all affected products from shelves.’