A professional boxer has been left disgusted after finding the remains of a rat inside an Aldi spinach bag.

Ben Savva, 31, found the rodent's body in October last year when he was making a breakfast smoothie at his home in Sydney's east.

Mr Savva had already eaten half of the spinach the day before.

He described the rat as having its skin removed, while the rodent's tail and back legs were also found in the salad mix.

'I grab a handful of spinach each morning and put it into my blender, I was so lucky I spotted it - it could have easily been blended into my shake,' Mr Savva told Daily Mail Australia.



The rat was found inside an Aldi spinach bag (pictured) when Ben Savva was making his breakfast smoothie

Savva was distressed after finding the severed rat (pictured) as he had already eaten half of the spinach the day before

'I am very upset about what happened. I still feel sick every time I think about it.'

Mr Savva, who said he isn't sure whether he may have consumed any part of the rat the previous day, now refuses to shop at Aldi.

'[My partner and I] take our diet very seriously. Now we have to travel and pay more weekly for food at other expensive shops,' he said.

The champion boxer returned the bag of spinach to the Aldi store on Oxford street - and claims he was offered a refund of $2.20.

Ben Savva (pictured) was disgusted after finding the rat inside his spinach and states he will never buy fresh produce from Aldi again

The boxer saw a doctor and was given an immediate tetanus shot and told to go to hospital if he felt the slightest bit unwell.

Mr Savva, who said he can no longer eat salad or spinach, filed a legal complaint against the supermarket with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Mr Savva is claiming $15,000 compensation.

Aldi's lawyers claimed the animal was placed inside the bag by a third party.

Mr Savva's legal representative said the supermarket was willing to offer the boxer a $100 gift voucher for his troubles.

Ben Savva with his partner Viviana Ruiz (pictured) were shocked at the discovery and now shop at another supermarket

Savva was offered a refund for the bag of salad and a $100 gift voucher for his troubles

Aldi reportedly confirmed the salad bag had a foreign object inside, but refused to take responsibility.

'To discover a foreign object in any food product is not acceptable and we have thorough quality assurance processes to mitigate such an occurrence,' a spokesperson for Aldi Australia told Daily Mail Australia.

'In relation to the allegations from October 2018, we will continue to respect the role of the Tribunal and look to resolve the matter directly with the customer involved,' the spokesperson said.

The court dispute continues.



