Whole Foods released a statement Tuesday sharing their shock at a viral video of a mouse snacking in a meat display at one of their grocery stores, according to PIX11.
Customer Brittany Ellis posted a video to TikTok on May 23 of a mouse nibbling at raw meat inside the display at a Columbus Circle Whole Foods store in Manhattan, according to PIX11 Ellis laughingly asks, “Why is there a mouse?”
@definebritt@wholefoodsofficials you doing bad guys not what I wanted to see today!!!!♬ original sound – DefineBritt
A spokesperson for Whole Foods told PIX11 they took the situation “very seriously.”
“We immediately removed and disposed of all products in the case, performed a deep cleaning, and brought in a third-party service for a thorough inspection. The store diligently followed our detailed protocol in response and continues to work closely with our food safety team,” the statement read.
Ellis posted a video on YouTube further describing the viral incident. She said she was alerted to the mouse in the meat display after two customers expressed their disgust. “All I see is this little nasty ass mouse. It was a little baby munchin, munchin on the food.”
Ellis said she tried alerting two employees to the mouse but was ignored. “This is so disgusting, and it’s the fact that what makes it more disgusting is that nobody cares. That’s how I took it, that nobody cares,” she added. (RELATED: Mouse Falls Onto NBC Reporter’s Lap From Ceiling Of White House Press Briefing Room)
“This was truly a traumatic viewing of a rodent eating away and possibly passing on more diseases during a global pandemic,” Ellis said. “I never want to set foot in this Whole Foods again,” she concluded.
The video has received more than 3.8 million views.