OCEANSIDE, Calif., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Trader Joe's said it was investigating a California couple's claim they found a part of a snake in a bag of frozen peas they purchased from the grocery chain.
Company officials told U-T San Diego it was highly unlikely a four-inch piece of a snake would have made it through the packaging process without being spotted by a monitor or blocked by the screens in place to intercept foreign objects larger than a pea.
"The foreign object claimed to have been found in our bag of peas is of a size, shape and color that would easily be identified and removed during the stringent sifting, screening and sorting processes," Trader Joe's told the newspaper in a written statement.
Charles and Melanie Usher of Oceanside said all they know is that the snake part rolled out of the bag last week when Mrs. Usher was pouring peas into a steamer. "Needless to say we were very grossed out," she said. "I'm not sure I'll ever buy frozen vegetables again or ever shop at Trader Joe's."
The Ushers told U-T San Diego they were not seeking compensation from Trader Joe's but wanted to alert their fellow consumers to the possibility of reptilian additives in their own frozen peas. "We'll probably never know the whole story," Mrs. Usher said.
