MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An unusual and amusing incident occurred when Australian farmer Rhys Smoker discovered a live frog nestled in a bag of lettuce. This unexpected find took place while Smoker was preparing a steak and salad dinner for himself and his three housemates on Saturday in Esperance, a town in Western Australia.
Initially, Smoker's housemates were skeptical about his claim. His housemate, Laura Jones, recounted that when he exclaimed, "Oh Bro, there's a frog in the lettuce," they found it hard to believe. "We’re like, ‘No, you’re taking the mick, like that’s not real,’” Jones explained, using a slang term that means attempting to fool someone. Amused by the situation, Smoker decided to bring the bag into the lounge room to show Jones and her partner, Billy Le Pine.
The revelation was met with laughter from the group. “Obviously, there’s a little frog hiding out, and yeah, we all had a little laugh about it,” Jones remarked. Subsequently, Le Pine and Jones decided to name the frog "Greg" before releasing it into a pond near their home. To bid farewell to Greg, they humorously played the tune "Crazy Frog," a popular Eurodance track associated with a CGI-animated character from Sweden.
According to Smoker and his partner, Lilli Ashby, they had purchased the contaminated lettuce earlier that day from a Woolworths supermarket in Esperance. This incident is not the first of its kind in Australia, as there have been previous occurrences involving other unusual creatures. In 2018, a shopper encountered a 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) nonvenomous diamond python resting on a shelf in a Woolworths supermarket in Sydney. Similarly, in 2021, another shopper found a venomous pale-headed snake entangled in lettuce at an ALDI supermarket also located in Sydney.
In light of the situation, Woolworths representatives stated that the frog incident was an isolated case and that there had not been any similar reports before. A company spokesperson added, "Our teams are investigating this with our suppliers as a priority." In response to the unusual incident, Woolworths extended an apology to Smoker's household and issued them a replacement bag of lettuce.
This unexpected encounter with a frog in their salad bag has brought a light-hearted element to Smoker and his housemates' lives, prompting them to share a memorable story. As they reflected on the amusing incident, they underscored the sometimes unpredictable nature of grocery shopping and the surprises that can arise from seemingly mundane situations.
Through this quirky tale, the incident illustrates both the humor and strangeness that everyday life can present while highlighting the need for food safety and the vigilance required in food production and distribution.
