Mouse spotted amongst cereal at Pukekohe Woolworths supermarket, customers disgusted, Ministry for Primary Industries investigating

A customer at a Pukekohe, South Auckland supermarket looked as if “she was gonna be sick” after a large mouse was spotted lying dead amongstbreakfast cereal on Sunday afternoon.

An image posted to social media showed a mouse lying on the bottom shelf of the breakfast cereal aisle at Woolworths Pukekohe South.

The mouse appeared to have chewed through the corner of a bag of Sanitarium Ricies, which can be seen on the supermarket floor.

One shopper told the Herald a woman walking past “looked as if she was gonna be sick”.

The shopper said they received a “good fright” after the discovery and informed a staff member who was “pretty quick to clean it up”.

Customers have been left disgusted after a mouse was spotted eating cereal at Woolworths Pukekohe South this afternoon.

Following inquiries by the Herald, New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) confirmed officials had been in contact with Woolworths and asked the company for further details, which would be reviewed.

Deputy director-general of NZFS Vincent Arbuckle said it was not unusual for rodents to find their way into supermarkets “from time to time”.

“...But they should not be in contact with food, or be evident to consumers, as it appears in this photo.

“All food businesses are required to have pest management plans in place to address the risk.”

A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was investigating the sighting alongside Rentokil and NZ Food Safety.

“Having hygienic stores is incredibly important to us and we are looking into this matter with urgency.”

The spokeswoman added staff immediately cleaned up after the rodent, which was dead, when informed by a customer.

Commentors on the social media post described the sight as “feral” and “so nasty”.

Others commented on the size of the mouse, one saying; “That’s either a rat or a very well fed mouse”.

“Looks like he’s experiencing a food coma,” another wrote.

It is the latest in a string of rodent sightings in Woolworths stores across the country since the beginning of the year.

Dunedin South Woolworths (formerly Countdown Dunedin South) was forced to shut for 18 days after numerous sightings of rodents in the store.

During the closure, 24 rats were caught.

Woolworths New Zealand confirmed this photo of a rat, reflected in a mirror in the deli section, was taken at its Dunedin South Countdown supermarket, at 323 Andersons Bay Rd, in November.

Earlier this month, MPI confirmed two rats had been captured at Dunedin South Woolworths over five weeks, since it reopened on February 28.

In February, video emerged of a mouse on top of a salad at Christchurch’s Eastgate Countdown.

Woolworths New Zealand director of stores Jason Stockill confirmed a live mouse was discovered 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 said a dead mouse was found the next day “indicating its pest control programme is working and there have been no sightings since”.

Another Countdown customer in West Auckland was left “disgusted” after she spotted a mouse running through the aisles in February.

Ranui resident Kelly was shopping with family at Pak’nSave on Lincoln Rd around lunchtime when she discovered the mouse running along the floor.

She quickly grabbed her phone to capture the evidence.

She claimed she saw it running from near the bakery section.

And a customer shopping at the supermarket in Three Kings noticed bird droppings splattered on aisle signs, which she said were hanging directly over perishable items.

“I have been shopping there for two years and have only just noticed them. I actually had to stop doing my shop and leave the store.

Bird droppings on a sign at Woolworths in Three Kings spotted by a customer doing her weekly shop.

“I know what diseases birds and their poo can carry.”

A spokesperson for Woolworths said while birds were “an unfortunately 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 immediately deal with it,” 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 mum bought the bread from Pak’nSave Te Awamutu and was feeding her toddler when she discovered the foot poking out of his mouth.

In February a pigeon was alleged to have put its head in a nut dispenser at Woolworths in Milford.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.