A horrified shopper got the shock of her life after she claims she discovered a live moth flying around inside her sealed bag of ‘washed and ready to eat’ supermarket spinach.

Courtney Holmes made the “disgusting” discovery after purchasing a bag of ‘washed and ready to eat’ spinach from her local Coles Kilkenny supermarket in Adelaide on December 3.

The 24-year-old real estate worker said she was preparing dinner when she first noticed the moth – which she initially thought was perched outside of the bag.

But on closer inspection, Ms Holmes was shocked to discover that the live moth was actually trapped inside the sealed bag after it began “frantically” flying around amongst the spinach leaves.

“I was just doing my usual run to the shops after work to grab something quick for dinner,” Ms Holmes said.

“I picked up two bags of spinach and didn’t even notice the moth while I was inside the supermarket.

“It wasn’t until I got home that I saw the moth, and at first I thought it must have been just on the outside of the bag. But as I got closer I realised it was actually fluttering about inside.

“I was really surprised because I thought they only have a really short lifespan normally, so I don’t know how it was still alive. It’s just insane.”

‘It was so disgusting’

Ms Holmes said she “got such a fright” when the moth started flying around.

“Luckily I had bought another bag because there was no way in the world I was going to use that spinach,” she said.

“It was so disgusting. You never know if it had laid eggs or defecated in there. It’s awful to think about.

“It says on the bag that it’s ready to eat, that it is washed and ready to go. But obviously that’s not always the case.

“I’m going to take it back to the shop. The moth is still alive, but not doing too well. I don’t think he has much time left.

“It is just unacceptable that something like this could happen. It is definitely a health risk.

“I won’t be returning to Coles after this.”

A spokesperson for Coles said the supermarket took the quality of “all our products seriously and has contacted the customer to follow up their complaint”.

“Suppliers of our pre-packaged salads have quality control procedures in place to avoid this type of issue such as various washing and sorting techniques to help get rid of any insects that may be present when the salad is removed from the field,” the spokesperson said.

“The salads are also inspected prior to being packed.

“We guarantee our Coles Brand products and as always encourage customers to return any item they’re not 100 per cent happy with to their nearest store for a full refund or replacement.”