Utah mom buys Walmart pizza with disgusting ‘toppings’
The toppings were droppings.
A Utah mom was horrified when she discovered mouse feces sprinkled all over the frozen pizza she’d just picked up from Walmart — prompting a health department investigation.
Alysa Potter noticed the small, dark droppings just before dinner on Sunday, as her family prepared to heat up three pizzas from the shop in Price for dinner.
“[My husband’s] like, ‘Unless you want mouse with your pizza, I don’t think we’re having that for dinner,’” Potter told KSL.com of the initial discovery.
In addition to the poop, the pizza’s plastic wrapping had clearly been nibbled through.
Potter immediately inspected the rest of the family’s nearly $300 grocery haul. After determining that the food was fine, she posted about the disturbing find on Facebook.
Some commenters reported similar issues with the retailer.
“I grabbed some hot dogs off the shelf that expired on [sp] August!” wrote one incredulous shopper. Another recalled finding bugs in their spaghetti from the same store.
Potter explained to KSL.com that she and her neighbors live in a rural area about 20 minutes from Price, the nearest town. The Walmart is one of the only large stores nearby, and they rely on it for groceries.
After speaking with an apologetic Walmart manager Sunday evening, Potter also called the Southeast Utah Health Department. Officials quickly initiated an inspection.
“The store had already started responding to the incident, cleaning and sanitizing the display case where the suspected food came from,” Brandon Pierce, environmental health scientist with the department, told KSL.com.
The subsequent investigation revealed no evidence of an infestation. It is unclear if the guilty mouse came from inside the store or stowed away in the delivery later on.
The department advised Walmart on how to improve its pest management practices, including removing old food items from bakery and storage areas.
“They’re doing everything they can on their end to prevent this kind of thing,” Pierce said. “Unfortunately, sometimes these things can happen.”
Potter, for her part, is concerned about other people getting mouse-infested food. She said the retailer also offered to refund her entire bill.
“Hopefully they can get it taken care of, really send some professionals in,” she said.
