Australia .. venomous red back spiders in groceries

Shoppers have discovered deadly red-back spiders hidden in bags of grapes purchased at two different supermarkets in Australia, 9News reports.

Retired police officer Andrew Bell said his daughter spotted a spider "alive" when she was buying fruit.

"The last thing you would expect is a red spider in the grapes," Bell said.

Another unlucky customer, Tony Marshall, said the spider "wasn't huge, but it might have been big enough to bite".

"I was very concerned that mothers would put grapes in their children's lunchboxes and that this could be very bad," Marshall told 9News.

"Russia Today" quoted a spokesman, saying that spiders hiding in crops are an "industry-wide problem", and said that the retailer is doing everything possible to get rid of "any presence of pests."

Bites from female redbacks, which are relatives of the black widow spider, can bring serious illness and death, albeit rarely, according to the Australian Museum.

A sting can produce a wide range of unpleasant symptoms, from severe pain to nausea and headaches.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news