Nine Year Old Girl Finds Black Widow Spider in Red Grapes Bought at Waitrose
Supermarket bosses have recalled red Mexican grapes from all their
stores after a deadly black widow spider was found in a bunch.
Waitrose pulled the fruit from shelves in case other spiders had
entered the country in the same consignment.
The black widow - the world's fifth most poisonous spider - was found
by nine-year-old Harriet Barron in a fruit bowl at her home.
Minutes earlier, her brother Elliot had been eating from the same
bunch while watching television.
Their mother, Susanne, a 53-year-old nurse, had bought the grapes at
her local Waitrose in Northampton.
She said: 'Harriet went to get a grape and started screaming, "There's
a spider in there."'
' My husband Columbus recognised the hour-glass-shaped orange and red
markings, covered it with paper and walked out of the room.'
The couple, who have four children, put the spider in a jar before
contacting Waitrose and the Department for Food.
Mrs Barron said she has not asked for a refund. ' Our thoughts were
about safety because there was likely to be more than one in the
consignment,' she added.
Black widow spiders come from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Females can
grow to about 1.5inches, including leg-span, but males are much smaller.
A store spokesman said: 'This is an isolated incident and our fruit
undergoes stringent checks during packing.'
Daily Mail: July 2008
