ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando couple claims they found a mouse in a package of spinach recently bought at a Costco, reports WKMG-TV in Orlando.
IMAGE: Couple claims she found mouse in spinach (Warning: Graphic)
Milica Calovic said she never noticed the mouse until she started to cook the spinach in a pot of boiling water.
"I couldn't believe it. It was a mouse," Calovic said on home video that she and her husband took minutes after the discovery. "I looked and I couldn't believe it what I saw. I immediately knew that was a mouse because it was hairy."
She said she felt sick when she spooned the dead rodent from her spinach.
Calovic claims the package of Taylor Fresh Organic Baby Spinach was sealed before she cut it open, and she says she dumped the entire contents of the bag into a pot of boiling water.
Normally, she eats spinach raw, trusting the label that it's "washed and ready to enjoy."
Calovic simply wants people to take a closer look at the food they eat.
"I just want people to be aware of dangers," she said.
Calovic called the company, Costco and local and federal health agencies to report the possible contamination. She has no plans to sue the company and she did not contact WKMG-TV for the story.
On its website, Taylor Farms, the parent company of Taylor Fresh, appears to pride itself on its clean processing and quality.
In an interview by phone, Taylor Fresh spokesman Mark Campion said the company was made aware of the complaint when Calovic called last Friday. The spokesman said Calovic was unable to provide any proof the mouse came from the box of spinach.
Campion said the company sends its product through both an "optical sorter" and manual sorting and that nothing was found to be wrong with the suspected batch of spinach. Campion went on to say no other complaints have been filed associated with the lot number, but while it's "extremely unlikely, it's not impossible" a mouse could have slipped through.
Campion said the company checked the batch of spinach for signs of contamination, and does not believe other consumers should experience any problems.