Black Widow Spider Found In Grapes Bought At Market Basket

FREMONT, N.H. (CBS) – If you don't like fruit, this will not encourage you to start eating it.

A family in Fremont says they had a close call with a dangerous creature last weekend.

Jennifer Rydeen told WBZ-TV her husband had just brought home some groceries from the Market Basket in Epping Sunday when he put a package of organic red grapes from the store on the kitchen counter.

The package sat there for several hours with a black widow spider lurking inside it.

Rydeen said she eventually opened the package to wash the grapes and that's when she found a web and then the spider.

"As I kept washing the grapes, they seemed to have little marks on them, which made me a little more suspicious," said Rydeen. "So I picked up the container and looked inside and saw the large spider in there – and screamed."

Black widow spiders are identified by the red hour-glass shape on their backs. Their venom is said to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's. The bites can be fatal for young children or the elderly.

Rydeen took the package of grapes outside and her husband Michael killed the spider.

They were not hurt. Jennifer told WBZ she's thankful her 10-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son never came close to the grapes, which came from Anthony Vineyards in Bakersfield, California.

Michael called Market Basket to let them know what happened.

The store apologized and offered them a refund.

"The fruit was organic and no pesticides are used. When you don't use pesticides, there is a possibility of this happening but do we inspect all food when it comes into our warehouse," a Market Basket spokesperson told WBZ-TV.