
A customer at a Pukekohe, South Auckland supermarket looked as if 鈥渟he was gonna be sick鈥� after a large mouse was spotted dining on breakfast cereal yesterday afternoon.
An image posted to social media showed a mouse lying on the bottom shelf of the breakfast cereal aisle at Woolworths Pukekohe South.
The mouse appeared to have chewed through the corner of a bag of Sanitarium Ricies, which can been seen on the supermarket floor.
One shopper told the Herald a woman walking past 鈥渓ooked as if she was gonna be sick鈥�.
The shopper said they received a 鈥済ood fright鈥� after the discovery and informed a staff member who was 鈥減retty quick to clean it up鈥�.
Customers have been left disgusted after a mouse was spotted eating cereal at Woolworths Pukekohe South this afternoon.
Following inquiries by the Herald, New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) confirmed officials had been in contact with Woolworths and asked the company for further details, which would be reviewed.
Deputy director-general of NZFS Vincent Arbuckle said it was not unusual for rodents to find their way into supermarkets 鈥渇rom time to time鈥�.
鈥�...But they should not be in contact with food, or be evident to consumers, as it appears in this photo.
鈥淎ll food businesses are required to have pest management plans in place to address the risk,鈥� Arbuckle said.
A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was investigating the sighting alongside Rentokil and NZ Food Safety.
鈥淗aving hygienic stores is incredibly important to us and we are looking into this matter with urgency.鈥�
Commentors on the social media post described the sight as 鈥渇eral鈥� and 鈥渟o nasty鈥�.
Others commented on the size of the mouse, one saying; 鈥淭hat鈥檚 either a rat or a very well fed mouse鈥�.
鈥淟ooks like he鈥檚 experiencing a food coma,鈥� another wrote.
Woolworths has been approached for comment.
It is the latest in a string of rodent sightings in Woolworths stores across the country since the beginning of the year.
Dunedin South Woolworths (formerly Countdown Dunedin South) was forced to shut for 18 days after numerous sightings of rodents in the store.
During the closure, 24 rats were caught.
Woolworths New Zealand confirmed this photo of a rat, reflected in a mirror in the deli section, was taken at its Dunedin South Countdown supermarket, at 323 Andersons Bay Rd, in November.
Earlier this month, MPI confirmed two rats had been captured at Dunedin South Woolworths over five weeks, since it reopened on February 28.
In February, video emerged of a mouse on top of a salad at Christchurch鈥檚 Eastgate Countdown.
Woolworths New Zealand director of stores Jason Stockill confirmed a live mouse was discovered in the salad section of the deli on February 7.
鈥淭he incident was reported and Rentokil came to the site and identified some entry points which have now been sealed,鈥� Stockill said.
He said a dead mouse was found the next day 鈥渋ndicating its pest control programme is working and there have been no sightings since鈥�.
Another Countdown customer in West Auckland was left 鈥渄isgusted鈥� after she spotted a mouse running through the aisles in February.
Ranui resident Kelly was shopping with family at Pak鈥檔Save on Lincoln Rd around lunchtime on Tuesday when she discovered the mouse running along the floor.
She quickly grabbed her phone to capture the evidence.
She claimed she saw it running from near the bakery section.
Earlier this week a customer shopping at the supermarket in Three Kings noticed bird droppings splattered on aisle signs, which she said were hanging directly over perishable items.
鈥淚 have been shopping there for two years and have only just noticed them. I actually had to stop doing my shop and leave the store.
Bird droppings on a sign at Woolworths in Three Kings spotted by a customer doing her weekly shop.
鈥淚 know what diseases birds and their poo can carry.鈥�
A spokesperson for Woolworths said while birds were 鈥渁n unfortunately common issue鈥� in food environments, it was disappointing to see droppings on the signs.
鈥淭he team at our Three Kings store has cleaned all the aisle signs and we ask any customer who sees something like this in a store to alert our team so they can immediately deal with it,鈥� the spokesperson said.
Last month Foodstuffs recalled a batch of pre-packaged garlic bread from stores, after a customer reported finding a rat鈥檚 foot inside.
The mum bought the bread from Pak鈥檔Save Te Awamutu and was feeding her toddler when she discovered the foot poking out of his mouth.
In February a pigeon was alleged to have put its head in a nut dispenser at Woolworths in Milford.
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
This article was originally published on the NZ Herald聽here.聽
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