A shopper saw a stomach-churning sight at Woolworths after spotting bags of lemons on sale despite being covered in a thick layer of mould.
Images of the lemons were shared on social media this week claiming they had been filmed at the Bass Hill supermarket branch in Sydney’s southwest.
“Woolworths, the fresh food people,” the woman said as she held up one of the bags.
The bags are labeled “the odd group,” which the supermarket uses to indicate fruits and vegetables that may not look perfect but are still safe to eat.
They are sold at a discount compared to regular products. It’s unclear how long the moldy lemons were on display.
Commenters on the video were surprised that the product was not for sale.
Would you mind explaining to me what’s going on here at Woolworths? Why would you put that on the shelves? one asked.
‘Is there a problem with the way fruits and vegetables are stored? I buy carrots from them and they have wilted in 2 or 3 days, but the bagged carrots we buy in bulk for our pub can sit there for a month and still look fantastic.’
Woman shared images of moldy lemons for sale in Sydney supermarket (pictured)
“That’s what happens when you refrigerate citrus and then display it unrefrigerated,” said another.
“I saw this once with Woolworths blueberries – all the packaging was mouldy,” said a third.
“Go to a local greengrocer, it’s cheaper and better quality and freshness,” suggested a fourth.
“Why do avocados always go bad three days after buying them?” added another.
According to consumer advocacy group CHOICE, supermarkets typically cold store their fruits and vegetables so they are available year-round.
They are not required to indicate the date the fruits or vegetables were picked.
According to the group’s survey of 1,000 shoppers, farmers’ market customers were significantly more likely to be satisfied with the freshness of their fruits and vegetables (92 percent).
Aldi customers were 80 per cent satisfied, and Coles and Woolworths were both at 73 per cent satisfied.
“Freshly picked apples can be kept for at least a week in a fruit bowl on the kitchen bench,” CHOICE said.
“But apples stored for ten or eleven months and bought in summer can lose flavor and texture after just one day, according to Stephen Morris of independent horticultural industry research company Postharvest Fresh.”
Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia that the store in question quickly recalled the products when customers complained.
“Our team works hard to maintain our high standards in the store and we are very disappointed to see this,” a spokesperson said.
“Once our store team learned of this, they quickly removed any affected products from shelves.”