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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/05/aldi-customer-finds-half-a-rat-in-packet-of-frozen-vegetables
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| Aldi customer finds half a rat in packet of frozen vegetables | Aldi customer finds half a rat in packet of frozen vegetables |
| (3 days later) | |
| Aldi has removed thousands of packs of frozen mixed vegetables from its shelves after a customer said she found half a rat inside a bag. | Aldi has removed thousands of packs of frozen mixed vegetables from its shelves after a customer said she found half a rat inside a bag. |
| Pat Bateman, 60, said she had just finished feeding lunch to her two-year-old granddaughter and was putting the packet back in the freezer when she spotted the rodent. | Pat Bateman, 60, said she had just finished feeding lunch to her two-year-old granddaughter and was putting the packet back in the freezer when she spotted the rodent. |
| She told the Sun: “It was nearly empty so that’s why I spotted something that looked out of place in the bottom of the bag. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled it out. It just looked like half a rat. It had fur on it. I showed my husband and because it was frozen we left it to defrost before taking another look at it.” | She told the Sun: “It was nearly empty so that’s why I spotted something that looked out of place in the bottom of the bag. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled it out. It just looked like half a rat. It had fur on it. I showed my husband and because it was frozen we left it to defrost before taking another look at it.” |
| Bateman, a retired florist from Liskeard, Cornwall, said she took the bag back to her local branch of the German supermarket chain and was offered £30 off her next shop. Unsatisfied with the response, she contacted Aldi’s head office, sending them photographs of the offending packet. | Bateman, a retired florist from Liskeard, Cornwall, said she took the bag back to her local branch of the German supermarket chain and was offered £30 off her next shop. Unsatisfied with the response, she contacted Aldi’s head office, sending them photographs of the offending packet. |
| Bateman said the offer of compensation had since been increased to £550 but she felt that still fell short of what she should be entitled to and had refused to accept it. | Bateman said the offer of compensation had since been increased to £550 but she felt that still fell short of what she should be entitled to and had refused to accept it. |
| “We felt physically sick after finding the rat,” she said. “We had eaten almost all of the bag before we saw it, and what’s even worse, I fed it to my youngest granddaughter.” | “We felt physically sick after finding the rat,” she said. “We had eaten almost all of the bag before we saw it, and what’s even worse, I fed it to my youngest granddaughter.” |
| The Sun said an internal Aldi document reported there had been three complaints – two from from Environmental Health and a third from a customer – of “pieces of small rodent being found in one batch of mixed vegetables”. It said the removal from sale was enacted last month. | The Sun said an internal Aldi document reported there had been three complaints – two from from Environmental Health and a third from a customer – of “pieces of small rodent being found in one batch of mixed vegetables”. It said the removal from sale was enacted last month. |
| The offending product was said to have been supplied to Aldi by Agrifreez in Saden, Belgium, which sent out nearly 40,000 packets just before Christmas. | The offending product was said to have been supplied to Aldi by Agrifreez in Saden, Belgium, which sent out nearly 40,000 packets just before Christmas. |
| According to the Sun, the internal Aldi report said: “An investigation is under way to identify the root cause and implement corrective action to prevent any re-occurrence before production restarts.” | According to the Sun, the internal Aldi report said: “An investigation is under way to identify the root cause and implement corrective action to prevent any re-occurrence before production restarts.” |
| In a statement, the supermarket said: “Following Mrs Bateman’s complaint, we removed this product from sale to prevent any further issues. We have suspended all orders from this production site whilst we investigate this matter.” | In a statement, the supermarket said: “Following Mrs Bateman’s complaint, we removed this product from sale to prevent any further issues. We have suspended all orders from this production site whilst we investigate this matter.” |
| In 2016 a customer from Northwich, Cheshire, claimed she found rat droppings in a yoghurt purchased from Aldi. | In 2016 a customer from Northwich, Cheshire, claimed she found rat droppings in a yoghurt purchased from Aldi. |