Aldi shopper finds SCORPION on her broccoli
An Aldi shopper has issued a warning to customers after making an unsettling discovery in some fresh produce purchased at her local store.
Sharing her find to the Aldi Mums Facebook page, the woman from the NSW South Coast issued a “friendly reminder” to other shoppers to check their fresh produce before eating it.
“My FIL bought a head of broccoli from the Ulladulla store today and after I had cut it up and started cooking it, I realised something was crawling around my chopping board,” she wrote.
“It turns out a scorpion was living in the broccoli.”
Alongside her post was a picture of the creepy-crawly that had made its way into the broccoli head.
Fellow shoppers were equally as surprised and despite most saying “hell no” to the unwelcomed visitor others thought it was an “awesome” surprise.
“Omg! That's freaking awesome! What a bonus. A free pet with food,” one shopper joked, adding: “First time I've seen a scorpion, but this is exactly why it's so important to wash fresh produce thoroughly. Especially when it's something grown outside in the dirt.”
‘It’s a good sign’
While most shoppers were 'freaked out', by the discovery others said it was a “great sign” that Aldi was offering up such fresh produce.
Several agreed that if the product had been heavily sprayed with pesticides or chemicals, the scorpion wouldn’t have been there at all and welcomed the idea of always thoroughly washing produce.
“At least you know it's fresh. Bugs live on the food we eat. It's not a big deal. No one planted it for you to find. Pop it outside and wash your fresh produce,” one person agreed.
“It's a good sign really, to know there's no pesticide on the broccoli, or else the creature wouldn't survive,” added another.
A third agreed, saying: "As much as this would have been a little concerning, bugs love fresh produce. Unless you want pesticides sprayed this will happen."
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Not the first time creatures found on shop veges
Unsurprisingly, this isn’t the first time unwanted insects have crawled their way into fresh produce on supermarket shelves.
And while some are more disturbing than others, dozens of shoppers have shared the odd living things they’ve discovered.
“This is not as cute as the time a little tree frog squeezed himself up out of a bunch of bananas at the checkout,” one shopper shared.
“I once got a bag of frozen veg from Coles and there was a snail in it,” added another.
“When I was a little girl, I remember my Mum buying a bag of Birds Eye frozen peas, and there was a green worm in it,” echoed a third.
But the strangest comment came from a customer who discovered something very unusual in her lettuce from Woolies.
“I’ve had a live but sleepy gecko in my lettuce from Woolworths,” the shopper said.
What to do if this happens to you
The customer who made the discovery said she had since contacted the Aldi Ulladulla store to make them aware of the find.
An Aldi spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia that this is exactly what customers should do if they happen to make a similar discovery.
"We strongly encourage customers to bring issues to our attention directly so we can review," the spokesperson said.
"Without contact with the customer, we can confirm that it is very unusual and that this broccoli hitchhiker isn’t where they belong — which is likely back on our Aussie producers’ farm."
If shoppers are unsatisfied with any Aldi product, they can return it to the store of purchase for a full refund.
"If you’re not completely satisfied with one of our everyday grocery items or Special Buys, you can return it for a refund or replacement within 60 days," the Aldi website states.
"Simply bring the product back to any ALDI store with proof of purchase (eg. receipt, bank statement, warranty card, credit card statement), ideally with the product packaging.
"Our friendly staff will then assist you with a refund or replacement."
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