Live frog found in lettuce bag sparks Woolworths investigation

Woolworths has launched an internal investigation after a live frog was found in a bag of lettuce in a remote town in Western Australia.

New Zealand couple Laura Jones and Billie Le Pine said their flatmate made the discovery at their Esperance share house, about 700 kilometres south-east of Perth.

"Our flatmates came home, and he's the most casual Australian ever, and he's like, 'Bro, I've got a lettuce, like a frog in my lettuce,'" Ms Jones told 102.5 ABC Perth.

"It was just out of the ordinary for Kiwis."

In a video shared on social media, the small green frog can be seen sealed in the plastic bag.

Mr Le Pine said the amphibian, which he presumed was transported from the eastern states, was probably about the size of his palm.

"It's quite a decent-sized frog for a big adventure," he said.

"It would have probably come from east. Most of our vegetables come from eastern Australia to Esperance.

"The bag of lettuce does have holes in it to keep the produce fresh, so he had a snack and some air on his way over."

Released into the wild

The pair said their flatmate opened the bag outside the house, and the frog, which they called Greg, was released into a local dam.

"We got him some fresh air, and then he released it with the lettuce," Ms Jones said.

"We live close to a dam … [he] had a little swim around with his lettuce … and away he hopped."

Mr Le Pine said it was definitely an odd encounter.

"That was the most random thing I've ever encountered while opening a bag of lettuce," he said.

"I'm just glad Greg is back in his natural habitat."

Woolworths investigating

In a statement, Woolworths confirmed it was investigating the incident with suppliers "as a priority".

But the statement also said this was "an isolated event with no other reported cases".

"Woolworths takes product quality and food safety very seriously," it stated.

"We work with a number of lettuce growers in WA and across Australia.

"Our suppliers have rigorous processes to maintain product quality.

"For heads of lettuce, this involves washing and a number of quality checks, which include checking for foreign materials, before they are packaged and sent to our stores."

It is not the first time an animal has been found in a packaged salad product at a Woolworths supermarket.