Spiders, Snakes, Rats and Bats in Food, O’ My

I get a number of calls a week from folks that find something unwanted in their food. Here is a bit from a search of the internet by AI.

In 2010, a woman in England found a frozen frog in a bag of green beans purchased from Tesco. “Woman finds frog in Tesco frozen vegetables.” The Guardian. October 28, 2010.

In 2017, two Florida residents reported finding a dead bat in a salad purchased from a local Walmart. The greens were part of Fresh Express’s Organic Marketside Spring Mix. “Dead bat found in packaged salad, experts don’t know if bat bits were eaten.” CNN. April 10, 2017.

In 2008, a woman in Pennsylvania found a rodent baked into her store-bought frozen pizza. The pizza was from the brand “Tombstone. “Woman finds dead rodent baked into frozen pizza.” NBC News. November 19, 2008.

In 2016, a Brooklyn woman discovered a three-inch lizard in her salad mix purchased from a Whole Foods store. The brand of the salad was Earthbound Farm Organic. “Woman finds carcass of lizard in store-bought salad.” New York Daily News. February 7, 2016.

Back in 2000, a Virginia woman found what appeared to be a chicken head in her order of fried chicken from a McDonald’s restaurant. “Woman finds chicken head in McDonald’s meal.” The Independent. November 30, 2000.

There have been several reports of rodents being found in packaged food items. A notable case occurred in 2009 when a woman from New York found a dead mouse in a loaf of bread purchased at a local bakery. “Woman sues over mouse in Chip ’n’ Dails bagel store slice.” New York Post, December 31, 2009.

Snakes are less commonly reported than some other animals but there have been a few instances. In 2009, a UK family reportedly found a live snake in a bag of Tesco salad. It was a 5-inch baby python that emerged as they were preparing their meal. “Live snake slithers out of Tesco salad bag.” The Telegraph, October 10, 2009.

As previously mentioned, a case in 2017 involved a dead bat found in a Fresh Express packaged salad sold at a Walmart in Florida. “Dead bat found in packaged salad, experts don’t know if bat bits were eaten.” CNN, April 10, 2017.

Black widow spiders have occasionally been reported found in packaged grapes. In 2016, a family in Michigan reported finding a live black widow spider in their grapes bought from a local grocery store. “Family Finds Black Widow Spider in Grapes.” ABC News, March 21, 2016.

A woman in New York claimed to have discovered a dead mouse in a loaf of bread purchased from a bakery. The incident resulted in a lawsuit. “Woman sues over mouse in bread loaf.” New York Post, December 31, 2009.

A couple in the UK reportedly found a dead mouse in a bag of frozen vegetables purchased from the supermarket chain Asda. “Dead mouse found in Asda frozen veg pack.” The Telegraph, March 31, 2010.

A man found a dead mouse in his can of Co-op Fair Trade hot chocolate powder in the UK. “Mouse in hot chocolate.” BBC News, August 13, 2003.

An Australian man reported finding a dead mouse baked into a loaf of bread purchased from a local store. “Western Australian man finds mouse baked into loaf of bread.” Perth Now, October 15, 2011.

A woman discovered what appeared to be a mouse in a can of Sainsbury’s curry sauce. “Mouse found in Sainsbury’s curry sauce can.” Independent, July 7, 2013.

A schoolboy found a dead mouse embedded in a chocolate bar from a brand named Morrisons in the UK. Source not explicitly linked, but covered widely in UK media at the time.

A dead rodent was reportedly found in a bag of salad purchased from a Tesco supermarket. “Rodent found in Tesco salad bag.” Huffington Post UK, April 18, 2014.

A woman in the Bronx, New York, claimed to find a dead mouse in a loaf of bread she purchased from a local grocery store. This led to a lawsuit against the store. “Woman sues over mouse in bread loaf,” December 31, 2009.

A couple discovered a dead mouse in a bag of frozen vegetables bought from Asda, a major supermarket chain. “Dead mouse found in Asda frozen veg pack,” March 31, 2010.

A man found a dead mouse in a can of hot chocolate powder purchased from Co-op in the UK. “Mouse in hot chocolate,” August 13, 2003.

Reports emerged of a rodent being found in a bag of salad purchased from Tesco, a leading supermarket in the UK. “Rodent found in Tesco salad bag,” April 18, 2014.

An Australian customer discovered a mouse baked into a loaf of bread purchased from a local store. “Western Australian man finds mouse baked into loaf of bread,” October 15, 2011.

A schoolboy reportedly found a dead mouse embedded in a chocolate bar bought from a Morrisons supermarket. Often covered in UK media at the time but specific citations might be less readily available online.

A woman discovered a mouse in a can of Sainsbury’s curry sauce, leading to distress and a formal complaint. The Independent, “Mouse found in Sainsbury’s curry sauce can,” July 7, 2013.

A woman from Fredericksburg, Virginia, found a live snake in a bag of lettuce she purchased from a local grocery store. Fox News, “Woman finds live snake in bag of lettuce from grocery store,” April 10, 2017.

A family in the UK opened a cereal box to find a live corn snake inside. The non-venomous snake was removed without incident. BBC News, “Family gets a snake with cereal,” January 16, 2004.

A woman found a baby snake inside a can of baked beans. The can had been stored for several months before the discovery. BBC News, “Snake found in tin of beans,” May 22, 2007.

A Sydney woman found a live snake inside a packaged lettuce product. It was identified as a venomous pale-headed snake. The Guardian, “Snake found alive inside packaged lettuce at Sydney supermarket,” October 5, 2016.

A Toronto family found a dead garter snake in a bag of frozen broccoli purchased from a local supermarket. CBC News, “Dead snake found in frozen broccoli,” February 13, 2009.

A Michigan woman found a dead, decomposing snake in a bagged salad mix purchased from a grocery store. CNN, “A woman says she found a dead snake in her bagged salad,” April 10, 2019.

A live snake was found in a package of spinach at a grocery store in Alabama, causing a brief panic among shoppers. CBS News, “Live snake found in produce section of Target store,” October 2, 2018.

A woman in Ohio claimed she found a dead lizard embedded in a McDonald’s sandwich. The Huffington Post, “Lizard Found In McDonald’s Sandwich, Lawsuit Alleges,” February 10, 2010.

A woman in California found a dead, partially decomposed lizard in a pre-packaged salad she purchased from a local grocery store. Huffington Post, “Woman Finds Dead Lizard In Her Packaged Salad,” April 19, 2016.

Diners found a dead lizard in a meal at a restaurant in Bangalore, India, which resulted in some guests falling ill. Times of India, “Diners spot lizard in northeast thali,” July 25, 2015.

Students in a hostel in Bhubaneswar, India, found a lizard in the food served to them, leading to concerns about hygiene standards. The New Indian Express, “Half lizard found in mess food, students fall ill,” June 13, 2017.

A man claimed to find a dead lizard in a can of Pepsi, which led to a lawsuit. However, the case was complicated by lack of evidence. Deseret News, “Jury to decide on mouse-in-Pepsi complaint,” June 23, 2000.

In Utah, a customer reported finding a dead lizard in her Subway sandwich, allegedly baked into the bread. KSL-TV, “Woman claims lizard found in sandwich bread,” October 3, 2020.

Cadbury was forced to recall more than a million chocolate bars after a customer reported finding a live insect in one. This led to health concerns and significant brand impact. The Guardian, “God! Maggot in my chocolate bar,” September 27, 2003.

A woman in Wisconsin reported finding live beetles inside a bag of frozen peas she purchased from a local supermarket. CBS58 Milwaukee, “Woman shocked to find beetles inside bag of frozen peas,” July 19, 2018.

A Florida family found a live scorpion inside a bag of pre-packaged salad purchased from a grocery store. The incident was widely reported and led to increased awareness about produce inspections. WFTS Tampa Bay, “Family says they found scorpion in bag of spinach purchased at Florida Costco,” October 22, 2019.

A customer in New York claimed to have discovered cockroach legs inside a bag of pre-ground coffee from a popular brand, prompting a media furor and discussions on insect contamination in food products. New York Post, “Man sues Maxwell House for ‘cockroach leg’ found in coffee tin,” July 22, 2014.

A Colorado mother found numerous live insects in a box of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats, leading to a product return and apology from the company. KRDO News, “Colorado mother claims she found insects in Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats,” March 18, 2021.

A family in British Columbia found a whole cricket inside a can of vegetable soup, which brought attention and a response from the manufacturer. Global News, “B.C. family shocked after finding cricket in can of soup,” January 15, 2022.

A consumer found a maggot in a chocolate bar from a major UK confectionary brand, which reignited concerns about production processes in the sweets industry. Daily Mail, “Horrified shopper claims she found live maggots wriggling inside chocolate bought from Sainsbury’s,” February 7, 2023.

A customer in Oregon reported finding a dead rat in their spinach salad at a Subway restaurant. The company investigated the supply chain and took steps to ensure cleanliness. NBC News, “Customer Claims They Found Mouse in Subway Sandwich,” October 13, 2015.

A Michigan man claimed to have found part of a rat baked into a loaf of bread bought from a local grocery store, prompting widespread media attention and supermarket’s investigation. Detroit Free Press, “Man finds rodent in Aldi bread, sparking an apology and an investigation,” May 7, 2022.

A woman in the UK found a dead rat inside a can of peas. The incident led to an investigation by the Food Standards Agency and the company involved. The Telegraph, “Woman finds dead rat in tin of peas,” October 19, 2009.

A family in Georgia discovered what appeared to be a fried rat inside a bag of potato chips. This led to a recall and an internal company investigation. Fox News, “Georgia family reportedly finds dead rat inside bag of potato chips from Publix,” March 2, 2018.

A woman filed a lawsuit after allegedly finding a dead rat in a bag of frozen green beans purchased from a grocery store. The incident brought significant media coverage and prompted a store recall. The Independent, “Woman sues after finding rodent in bag of frozen vegetables,” January 20, 2016.

A customer at a fast-food chain in China claimed to have found a rat’s head in their fried chicken meal. The incident went viral on Chinese social media, leading to an investigation by health officials. BBC News, “China KFC denies serving fried rat,” September 6, 2012.

A UK family reportedly found a dead rat inside a bag of oats purchased from a leading supermarket, prompting an investigation by health and safety officials. The Guardian, “Family find dead rat in bag of oats from Tesco,” March 25, 2013.

In Florida, two customers reported finding a dead bat in a package of prepackaged salad mix from Fresh Express. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was informed, and the salad producer issued a recall. The Washington Post, “A dead bat was found in a bagged salad. And the CDC has some worrisome advice,” April 10, 2017.

Customers at a Starbucks location in Louisiana reportedly found a dead bat in a bottle of a prepackaged frappuccino. The incident led to the removal of the product from shelves at the location. FOX News, “Dead bat found in Starbucks bottled drink,” October 14, 2014.

A bakery in Queensland faced scrutiny and investigation after a customer claimed to have found part of a bat in a loaf of bread. Health officials were involved to assess the situation. News.com.au, “Bat found in popular bakery loaf bread,” February 28, 2012.

A customer in the U.S. reported finding a dead bat in a box of cereal. The company involved was notified and took steps to investigate the supply chain. ABC News, “Dead Bat Allegedly Found in Cereal Box,” March 2012.

A man in New Jersey found a live grasshopper in a pre-packaged container of salad greens he bought from a local grocery store. This prompted a social media post and reached the store for further inspection. NBC New York, “New Jersey Shopper Finds Live Grasshopper in Store-Bought Salad Greens,” March 2023.

A woman from Glinde, Germany, discovered a live maggot crawling in a packet of raisins. She reported the incident for a refund and considered further measures regarding potential contamination. The Local DE, “Live maggot found in Glinde raisins,” February 19, 2014.

A consumer reportedly found living larvae in a bulk container of chocolate bars at a store in New Mexico. The retailer was contacted and removed the affected products from their shelves. KOAT News, “Mama Says Chocolate Larvae Incident Left Her Feeling ‘Sick’,” August 29, 2013.

A woman in the UK found a live cockroach in a slice of bread from a loaf she bought at a supermarket. The discovery led to a publicized complaint and an investigation. The Daily Mail, “Woman’s shock as she finds live cockroach crawling in her loaf of bread,” October 2012.

A Massachusetts woman posted on social media about finding live aphids in a bag of organic salad greens. The post went viral, alerting the producer, who then checked on their quality assurance processes. Boston Globe, “Woman finds live bugs in her bagged salad,” May 12, 2011.

A woman in New York found a live frog in her pre-packaged salad purchased from a grocery store. She spotted the frog after she had already eaten some of the greens. This incident led to a public apology from the store, and the event was widely covered by local news outlets. NBC New York, “Green with Revulsion: New York City Woman Finds Live Frog in Her Store-Bought Salad,” August 27, 2019.

A couple in British Columbia found a live gecko in a bagged salad mix they had purchased from a grocery store. Shocked by the discovery, they contacted the store and informed them about the unusual find. CTV News, “B.C. couple finds live gecko in bag of pre-packaged salad,” January 2018.

A Michigan man found a live snake inside a can of green beans after hearing a rattling sound. He contacted the manufacturer, who launched an investigation and issued a recall of the product in question. Detroit News, “Man finds live snake in can of green beans,” June 2007.

A British family discovered a small live bird trapped inside a sealed loaf of bread. The family noticed movement inside the packaging and released the bird, which appeared unharmed. This prompted an investigation by the manufacturer. BBC News, “Live bird found in packaged loaf,” December 23, 2004.

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/spiders-snakes-rats-and-bats-in-food-o-my/