CFIA advisory issued after Fredericton woman finds poisonous beetle in spinach

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a consumer advisory after several reports across the country of poisonous beetles inside bags of salad. 

A Fredericton woman found a beetle in her package of organic baby spinach last week, at a time when similar discoveries have been made across the country.

Farrah Hodgson said she picked up the spinach at a local Sobeys store, and soon after, her husband began feeling ill.

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"I bought the container the previous Friday, and my husband doesn't wash it like I do. He puts a handful in a sandwich bag and takes it to work every day," said Hodgson.  

"He was sick every day. He's better now, a bit of stomach pain still, but he's fine."

​Hodgson believes his illness was caused by the insect in the bag of salad.

She said her nephew told her that the brightly coloured beetle was poisonous.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is investigating the presence of iron cross blister beetles in imported leafy vegetables. 

The agency says there have been no confirmed illnesses from eating these products.

It says if consumers find the beetle in a salad, it should be removed without touching it directly and the CFIA should be notified. 

In the advisory released Friday, it says the beetle has a bright red head and yellow markings on the wings. The beetle can release a chemical called cantharidin which can cause blisters on the skin.

Hodgson brought her spinach back to Sobeys and the company has opened an investigation.

There have been two cases of the beetle being found in packaged greens since Hodgson and her husband reported their findings. 

"Everything has been fine since. I'm not surprised when I find a bug in my produce, but when it's a poisonous bug, it's a bit more alarming then," she said.

"And I have told my husband to start washing the leaves."

Other Canadians who have found bugs in their salads include:

• Erin Cameron, who found a beetle in a bag of mixed greens that she bought in Toronto. "I took a scoop, just with my hands, of the lettuce, and put it into my bowl," she recalled. "Right away I noticed there was a giant bug inside ... and I kind of freaked out."
• Darcy Parenteau, of Saskatoon, said she discovered a beetle in a bag of baby spinach, also purchased at a Sobeys. The bug was roughly the size of a toonie.