Shopper is left ‘sick to the stomach’ after discovering a ‘dead rodent embryo’ in her Tesco lettuce

By MICHAEL HAVIS FOR MAILONLINE

Published: 11:10 BST, 25 April 2025 | Updated: 11:10 BST, 25 April 2025

A beauty therapist was left ‘absolutely sick to the stomach’ after discovering a suspected dead rodent embryo in her lettuce from Tesco.

Georgia Rizzi was about to fix lunch with the romaine lettuce from Tesco Extra in Chichester, West Sussex, when she spotted something unusual.

She said: ‘I had no idea there was anything in there from outside the packaging and didn’t notice when I broke a little bit from the top to give to my rabbit, Mochi.

‘But when I took the lettuce out and opened it up the smell hit me first, and then I could see there was something between the leaves.

‘At first I thought it was a tomato, as it looked red and squishy!

‘But when I shook it into the sink, to my absolute horror a dead baby rat fell out.’

Video taken by Georgia, 34, captures the stomach-churning moment the suspected animal is shaken loose from the veg, which was of Spanish origin.

For Miss Rizzi, it was a close call.

A beauty therapist was left ‘absolutely sick to the stomach’ after discovering a suspected dead rodent embryo in her lettuce from Tesco

Georgia Rizzi was about to fix lunch with the romaine lettuce from Tesco Extra in Chichester, West Sussex, when she spotted something unusual

She said: ‘I had a friend and her 18-month-old daughter come for lunch, and I bought the lettuce to use as salad in a wrap.

‘I felt absolutely sick to my stomach, the smell was overwhelming.

‘And the thought that I not only nearly ate it myself, but nearly served it to my friend and her young child was horrifying.

‘As silly as it may sound I just wanted to burst into tears.’

Georgia, from Bosham, has now returned the lettuce to the store and been refunded.

She said: ‘I wouldn’t want this or worse to happen to somebody else.

‘At the very least I would like an apology from Tesco, assurances as to what they are doing about it, and to be honest I want to be compensated for the distress that it has caused.’

She added: ‘Always check your products – it’s so important to wash fresh fruit and veg!’

Video taken by Georgia, 34, captures the stomach-churning moment the suspected animal is shaken loose from the veg, which was of Spanish origin

The exact nature of the contaminant has yet to be confirmed, but Tesco has now launched an investigation

The exact nature of the contaminant has yet to be confirmed, but Tesco has now launched an investigation.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to hear about this.

‘We work closely with our suppliers to ensure there are robust quality procedures in place, and our lettuce is thoroughly checked throughout the growing, harvesting and packing process.

‘We have spoken with the customer, provided a refund and our technical team is fully investigating the potential cause.’

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Shopper is left ‘sick to the stomach’ after discovering a ‘dead rodent embryo’ in her Tesco lettuce

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