A social media storm, featuring an image of a dead frog claimed to have been found in a Woolworths salad, has seen the retailer launch an investigation into the matter.
Twitter user Dirk Steenekamp recently posted the image and directed it at the retailer's account - raising eyebrows as it gained the public's attention. "@WOOLWORTHS_SA absolutely appalled and disgusted! Only ever shop at Woolies, never again. #WooliesFrogSalad #Vomit," the post read.
Woolworths quickly responded on Twitter, pledging to investigate further. "Dirk, that's terrible... we're so sorry. Can you DM us your details? We really want to get in touch," the account tweeted.
Gaining momentum
The image has since been retweeted more than 680 times and, even though public responses ranged from humour to shock, the retailer said it has taken the incident seriously.
In a statement, Woolworths said: "Although Mr Steenekamp's experience is exceptionally rare, we are very concerned about this incident. We do use pesticides sparingly, to ensure our fresh produce is grown in a healthy environment that also preserves biodiversity.
"A healthy farm attracts insects, frogs, birds and other wildlife, and it may well be that the frog slipped through our extensive quality checks undetected."
Alternative versions
The frog image spawned several Twitter memes and responses. User @simmiareff lampooned the post, publishing an image of a smartphone in a packet of Woolworths cheese. "Just found an iPhone in my @WOOLWORTHS_SA Mild Cheddar Cheese. WTF."
Meanwhile, @gparkin said: "Appallingly mislabelled. Should have been French salad," while @Snenezy noted: "Makes u wonder what else we've been eating without noticing." User @JennyGriesel added: "Fascinated to hear the outcome of the @WOOLWORTHS_SA frog story. A frog does kind of un-vegetarianise a salad! #wooliesfrogsalad"
On Woolworths' official Facebook page, users were this morning still asking for updates on how the frog ended up in the salad, while others poked fun at the retailer's promotional posts. Woolworths has responded: "We've made contact with the concerned customer and we're in the process of conducting a full investigation."
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