BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) -- An Australian woman said Thursday she was horrified after finding a live rat nestled inside a loaf of bread she bought at a supermarket.
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The woman, who had been shopping in Aitkenvale, in Queensland‘s tropical north, noticed there were holes in the sliced bread as she was packing her bags into the car.
"I said to my friend, ’this bread‘s got a hole in it, it looks like a rat’s eaten into it‘,” the woman, who asked not to be identified, told the Australian Associated Press.
When she lifted the bag out she found a live rodent had chewed through the packaging and was lurking inside.
"The thought of a live rat in my loaf of bread and so close to me was pretty gruesome,” she said.
“I didn’t want to vomit, I just wanted to throw it away, I got all squeamish.”
Pictures in the Townsville Bulletin newspaper showed the rat inside the loaf‘s plastic packaging.
The woman took the bread back to the supermarket after the discovery Sunday but they were reluctant to take responsibility, she told the newspaper.
“It came from their shop but they are saying it was in the bread before it was delivered to the shop,” she said.
A spokesman for Coles supermarkets said the incident was “obviously concerning” but isolated and the company would investigate.
Townsville City Council Environmental Health executive manager Gavin Hammond confirmed a complaint had been received.
“While it’s virtually impossible to ascertain where the rodent came from, the council takes public health very seriously and has carried out an inspection of the supermarket and the bakery,” he told the Bulletin.
“We are satisfied that they have complied with all health requirements.”
<한글 기사>
호주 할인마트서 산 빵에서 쥐 나와
호주의 한 여성이 할인마트에서 산 빵에서 살아 있는 쥐가 나와 항의했지만 마트 측은 책임이 없다고 발뺌하고 나섰다.
익명을 요구한 이 여성은 지난달 31일(현지시각) 퀸즐랜드주 북부 타운스빌 외곽의 콜스(Coles)마트에서 장을 보고 차에 짐을 실으려다 마트에서 산 빵에 구멍 여 러 개를 발견했다.
현지 언론에 따르면 그는 친구에게 “빵에 쥐가 갉아먹은 것처럼 구멍이 나 있다”며 빵봉지를 들어 올리는 순간, 빵 포장지를 뚫고 안에 들어가 있는 쥐를 보고 소스라치게 놀랐다.
그는 “토하지 않으려고 당장 빵봉지를 던져버리고 싶었다. 정말 너무 역겨웠다”고 말했다.
그는 “다시 마트로 들어가 항의했지만, 마트 측은 자신들에게 배달되기 전부터 쥐가 들어가 있었다고 말했다”고 덧붙였다.
한편 이 여성의 항의를 접수한 타운스빌 환경위생과는 쥐가 빵 봉지에 들어간 경로를 확인할 길이 없다며, 해당 마트와 빵 제조업자 측을 조사한 결과, 위생 규정을 준수한 것으로 나타났다는 답변만 내놨다. (연합뉴스)
