LIDL has apologised to a customer who shared revolting images of a dead “cricket” she discovered inside her spinach.
Hannah Bliss from Basingstoke, Hampshire, was left “sickened” after began tucking into the 72p and made the grim discovery.
The images show a dead insect nestled among the leaves of the spinach.
The bug can be seen lying on its back on top of the leafy greens with its legs and antennae splayed around it.
27-year-old Hannah had bought the Meadow Fresh spinach from her local store on 7 November.
She took to Lidl’s Facebook page to complain, writing: “I purchased a bag of baby spinach only two days ago from my local Basingtoke Lidl.
“I opened the bag this evening to wash the spinach leaves just before I was going to serve them, only to my absolute horror find a dead grasshopper/cricket within.
“Naturally, I had to discard the entire contents as I was not prepared to consume a product that has had a grasshopper/cricket in!
“I am a regular customer of Lidl but this experience has made me cautious of the quality assurance standards.
“I strongly want to believe this is a one off occurrence but regardless this should not be happening.”
Speaking today, Hannah added: “I always wash my spinach, even if it says it is already washed.
“I had actually opened this bag and used a bit the night before I found the cricket.
“I rinsed the rest of the bag and put it on a towel to dry but it wasn’t until I picked up a handful to plate it that I then saw the cricket.
“I initially didn’t know what it was, but after closer inspection and realisation, I felt sick.
“Naturally, I had to discard the rest of the contents as I was not prepared to consume a product that has had a cricket in!
“I am a regular customer of Lidl, but this experience has made me cautious of the quality assurance standards.”
Since finding the bug, Hannah says she has contacted Lidl about the incident.
She said: “ They emailed back to confirm they received my complaint.
“I then had a follow up email to further explain they are ‘conducting a thorough investigation’ which can take up to ten working days to get an outcome.”
A Lidl spokeswoman said today [WED]: “We were very sorry to hear of this.
“At Lidl GB, we work very closely with our suppliers, to ensure that the fresh fruit and vegetables in our stores are of the highest possible quality for our customers.
“We would therefore advise the customer to get in touch with our customer services team so that this can be looked into for them.”
