A Las Vegas grandmother was shocked to find a dead mouse in a packet of organic spinach she’d bought from her local branch of Walmart — putting her at risk of a host of potentially deadly infections.
Rumiko Bosa-Edwards, 65, was rinsing the greens in her sink when she spotted what she believed to be dirt, and poked it with a spatula.
Noticing the animal’s red eyes, she realized the infestation was in fact a dead mouse.
It’s unclear how the mouse got into the spinach, which is still being sold under WalMart’s proprietary brand Marketside.
The red-eyed mouse sat lifeless in her sink as Mrs Bosa-Edwards called Walmart about the incident, but the store did not answer.
Eventually, she decided to bring her surprise discovery to the staff at her local Walmart, who offered her a refund.
Mrs Bosa-Edwards initially thought the mouse in her spinach was dirt and tried to move it aside with a kitchen utensil
The spinach is still on Walmart shelves and is billed as washed and ready to eat
Mrs Bosa-Edwards told the Las Vegas Review Journal that she always washes her vegetables, a habit she said had been instilled in her in childhood.
The lesson served her well last week when she found the dead mouse hiding amid the spinach leaves.
Mice droppings are known to carry a range of viruses and bacteria that can cause a range of diseases, from hemorrhagic fever and deadly salmonella poisoning, to leptosperosis and monkeypox.
A Walmart spokesperson said: ‘The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority, and we are working with our supplier to investigate this alleged incident.’
Mrs Bosa-Edwards said Walmart employees did not answer her repeated calls, and eventually brought the dead mouse to the store
Ms Bosa-Edwards said the store did not take her contact information and has not reached out since she went to the store. The spinach is still on shelves.
She said: ‘Under the words baby spinach it says “WASHED & READY TO EAT,” which left me with a bad taste in my mouth.’
She has since disinfected her sink at least three times.
Her experience is not entirely uncommon.
Last year, Sam Hayward, 39, of the UK claimed he had already started eating his Chinese takeout when he supposedly noticed 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’.
Mrs Bosa-Edwards said she is considering suing Walmart.
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