It’s the sort of thing no shopper ever expects to happen.
Tiffany Grazier had purchased a jar of golden pepperoncini pickled peppers from her local Albertsons in Phoenix, Arizona, for a pot roast.
But when she started cooking – and after licking her fingers – she noticed there was something terribly wrong with her jar of peppers. It also contained what appeared to be a pickled mouse.
‘There’s a dead baby mouse!’ she shrieked in a video on TikTok, holding the jar up to the camera to show the floating animal, before making a face of disgust.
A week after posting the clip on September 18, an urgent recall of the Mezzetta-branded golden Greek Pepperoncini medium heat pickled peppers, which are shown in the video, over what it termed a ‘potential pest contaminant.’
In a press release, a spokesperson said: ‘We’re aware of a video circulating on social media showing a potential pest contaminant in a jar [of the product].
‘We have contacted the consumer and have moved quickly to investigate the situation and initiate a voluntary recall.’
The company recalled all 32fl oz jars of the pickled peppers that had the lot number 720106, which is found near the barcode.
The above image shows what appears to be a dead and pickled mouse in a jar of golden pepperoncini pickled peppers from popular brand Mezzetta
Consumers have been urged not to eat the affected products and to return them to stores for a full refund immediately.
No injuries or illnesses linked to the recall have been reported to date.
Mezzetta provided no further details, including how many jars had been recalled, where the recalled jars were on shelves or what their best-before date was.
It also did not say in which stores affected products were sold, although the golden pickled peppers are stocked nationwide in stores including Walmart, Target and Kroger, according to the store’s websites.
In the clip, which has now been viewed more than 220,000 times, viewers were quick to respond with disgust.
One commented: ‘Could you imagine eating these in a dark kitchen and not knowing,’ while a second said, ‘The way I just giggled and then started crying because I have the same ones in my fridge.’
A third added: ‘Fun fact: People are eating from jars that came from the same mouse batch but don’t know it because you ended up with the mouse.’
A spokesperson for Mezzetta said: ‘For generations, families have trusted Mezzetta products on their tables.
The above shows what appeared to be a pickled baby mouse inside the jar
This image shows the product that has been recalled due to a ‘potential pest contaminant’
Shown above is a stock image of pickled foods in a grocery store
‘We take that trust seriously, which is why we wanted to share what we know about a voluntary recall… and the actions we are taking.’
They added: ‘We have requested to retrieve and examine the product involved in the original consumer report and are reviewing the relevant production, sanitation and food-safety records as part of our ongoing investigation.
‘We immediately took action to identify where the product was distributed and worked with affected customers to isolate and remove it from sale.
‘As our investigation continues, we’ll take other appropriate steps as needed.’
It is not clear how a rodent may have been added to the peppers, but this may happen if one is present in a factory and then falls into the production line. It can also be added during harvesting if it is on the pepper plants.
Pickled peppers are a popular pantry staple in the US and are regularly added as toppings to salads, sandwiches and pizzas for their sweet and tangy taste.
Mice that end up in foods can mix fur and dirt into them.
They may also add potentially dangerous bacteria including E.coli and listeria, which can trigger life-threatening complications such as sepsis.
The salty and acidic conditions in brine water kill off the vast majority of bacteria, but some – such as E.coli – may be able to survive the conditions and then trigger an infection if the contaminated food is consumed by an individual.
There is no evidence that the pickled peppers in the recall are contaminated with bacteria.
