Woman finds frozen mouse inside Colruyt spinach

Budget supermarket chain Colruyt has removed several batches of frozen vegetables from all of its stores, after a Brussels woman found a mouse inside a bag of spinach.

The customer, Gisèle, was preparing a meal when she discovered an unusual frozen ball among the spinach - and decided to thaw it in the microwave to see what it was.

"There was a foul smell and it was then that I identified the tail and legs of the mouse," Gisèle wrote in a Facebook post. "My children could have suffered food poisoning if I hadn't found it first."

Colruyt said all frozen vegetables belonging to the Boni brand that were packaged at the facility on the same day have been removed from sale.

"We obviously regret this incident and we understand how the customer might have felt," a Colruyt spokesperson said.

"Everything is done to guarantee the food safety of our own brands. This is a priority for Colruyt and we will not hesitate to take the appropriate measures."

Federal food standards agency Afsca has begun an investigation.