A supermarket customer in Pukekohe, South Auckland, appeared nauseated when a large mouse was spotted feasting on breakfast cereal yesterday afternoon, The New Zealand Herald reported.
A photo shared on social media showed the mouse on the bottom shelf of the breakfast cereal aisle at Woolworths Pukekohe South. The mouse seemed to have nibbled through a bag of Sanitarium Ricies, which was on the supermarket floor.
A witness told the Herald that a woman passing by looked as though she was about to be sick.
The witness said they were startled by the discovery and promptly informed a staff member, who quickly cleaned up the area.
Following inquiries by the Herald, New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) confirmed that officials had contacted Woolworths and requested further details, which would be reviewed.
Vincent Arbuckle, NZFS's deputy director-general, stated that while it is not uncommon for rodents to enter supermarkets "from time to time," they should not come into contact with food or be visible to consumers, as seen in the photo.
"All food businesses are required to have pest management plans in place to address the risk," Arbuckle said.
A Woolworths spokeswoman stated that the company, along with Rentokil and NZ Food Safety, was investigating the sighting.
"Maintaining hygienic stores is incredibly important to us, and we are looking into this matter urgently," the spokeswoman said.
She added that staff promptly cleaned up after the rodent, which was found dead, upon being informed by a customer.
Commenters on the social media post described the sight as "feral" and "disgusting."
Others commented on the mouse's size, with one saying, "That's either a rat or a very well-fed mouse."
"It looks like he's experiencing a food coma," another wrote.
This incident is the latest in a series of rodent sightings at Woolworths stores across the country since the beginning of the year.
Dunedin South Woolworths (formerly Countdown Dunedin South) had to close for 18 days due to numerous rodent sightings in the store. Twenty-four rats were caught during the closure.
Earlier this month, MPI confirmed that two rats had been captured at Dunedin South Woolworths over five weeks since it reopened on February 28.
In February, a video emerged showing a mouse on top of a salad at Christchurch's Eastgate Countdown.
Woolworths New Zealand's director of stores, Jason Stockill, confirmed that a live mouse was found in the salad section of the deli on February 7.
"The incident was reported, and Rentokil came to the site and identified some entry points, which have now been sealed," Stockill said.
He added that a dead mouse was found the next day, indicating that the pest control programme was effective and that there had been no further sightings.
A Woolworths spokesperson said that while birds were a common issue in food environments, it was disappointing to see droppings on the signs.
"The team at our Three Kings store has cleaned all the aisle signs, and we ask any customer who sees something like this in a store to alert our team so they can deal with it immediately," the spokesperson said.
Last month, Foodstuffs recalled a batch of pre-packaged garlic bread from stores after a customer reported finding a rat's foot inside.
The incident occurred at Pak'nSave Te Awamutu, where a mother discovered the foot while feeding her toddler.
In February, a pigeon was alleged to have put its head in a nut dispenser at Woolworths in Milford
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