Mites in broccoli LIDLs - BEWARE!

[Rendering]

TL:DR: Please check your broccoli carefully before purchasing. Please let the staff know of there are tiny mites.

A few weeks ago DH (foodie) came home shopping and immediately started preparing dinner. He started chopping the broccoli, and there before him was various sizes of mites and tiny caterpillar things. We checked the other broccoli we bought, and was the same. The broccoli otherwise looked normal.

Returned to Lidls and complained, assuming it was a one off. They gave us a refund.

Ever since we check for mites before buying and purchased mite-free broccoli 2 or 3 times. They are very tiny, about the size of a pin head, brown with visible legs. Until today...more mites (not just a few either)...I told the staff but the other broccoli are still there. I feel bad for anyone buying them and not realising but I can only complain so many times and that is just 2 stores. So here I am trying to spread a word of warning.

I'm not sure if it's exclusive to Lidls so worth checking wherever you buy your broccoli from. I'm no ecologist so I don't know what these mite things are but there was enough and variety of them to make us go 🤢

That’s good isn’t it ? Means there have been less pesticides sprayed on your veg.

Exactly. There were hundreds, if not a thousand in mine. Lots came out with rinsing and rubbing but loads more were stuck between the little individual fronds

You are missing the point.

Would you rather pick insects off your food... or eat poison?

I'll never forget the cauliflower cheese DM made once. She rinsed the cauliflower, as opposed to soaking the florets, and so all the flies appeared in the white sauce.

Off topic, this thread is starting to remind me of Toad from the Wind In The Willows when he didn't blanch his vegetables before using and showing off his canning machine and when he had the dinner party he opened the cans and the food had rotted and it exploded all over his dinner guests.

Anyway I guess a line needs to be drawn between what you're prepared to accept and not accept. If you're happy to eat and feed a totally infested piece of veg with maggots and all to your family then so be it. It's surely possible to have a non toxic veg that isn't infested!

I remember when my ex made me a salad with kale he had grown himself and it was CRAWLING with tiny bugs. it was early days in our relationship and I didn’t want to kick up a fuss… I ate the lot 🤢

I’ve stopped eating broccoli for this reason

I am with you OP. Of course insects on veg is completely natural and right and it's good that they can thrive there etc etc. However, I am vegetarian and I really don't want to eat them! (Nor, actually, because yes i am THAT wet, do I want to boil them alive to remove them). It's a wonder I can eat anything really. 🙄

I had some mites in my Waitrose fennel. It happens.

That's a shame. I can't boycott as weirdly it is the only green veg my 6yo will eat with gusto!

Give it a rinse, then cook it.

Anything alive will be killed AND you get some hidden protein!

Btw broccoli is lovely raw, after a good wash!

I did. Took my bug infested broccoli back to Sainsbury’s. I hadn’t noticed, it was the kids that asked why their broccoli had black bits in when I served it up 😬. Took the remainder back. Got a £10 gift voucher and I’ve avoided the organic stuff ever since.

You could always buy frozen. There's no beasties then.

I’ve found dead flies in my pak Choi on two separate occasions - once from Gousto and once from Ocado.

I’m not a foodie though so it probably doesn’t count.

I am surprised you haven’t been entirely let on this point by your “foodie DH”!

Is he foodie because he cooks broccoli?

I'm guessing you never grow your own veg OP 🤣.

Not even frozen beasties?

On a more serious note, and Im not saying this exactly applies to you OP or other posters who felt the same, but another thread about food or cost of living or obesity (something like that) was saying about how people need educating in nutrition and these lessons need to happen (school and adult Im guessing) in order for our health to improve
My point was that I do believe people are sufficiently educated, I dont think that anyone doubts that veg is good for them, or oily fish, fruit, skins on things for fibre.

But so many people are squeamish about dirt, bugs, wonky holey fruit and veg, they wont buy it or eat it. People dont eat dirty potatoes, they dont buy them. They want everything looking nice. People dont want things that have bones them or smell strong like fish or offal.

Bugs are in our produce, its how life occurs. Food smells or discolours. Foods have strong flavours or smells. You have to cut bits off sometimes like skin or bones.

So not matter what education people are given about good nutrition, people wont buy and use natural produce, hence why so much packaged and processed food is preferred.

It's Lidl, not Lidls. Aaargh.

@Rendering what did you eat with the broccoli ?

I usually chop mine first and then wash it, and if it is looking a bit buggy (homegrown although not by me) I'll rinse it, chop it, then soak it. Normally just give it a quick rinse though. However, I do need new glasses...

Bless you. And for all the right reasons you have NO IDEA what kind of farming year it’s been. Shocking doesn’t even begin to describe it. I think if you find broccoli at the moment without bugs you should leave it. As it’s been bathed in chemicals.
(Oh and this year comes on back of last year also being beyond shocking (wet))

the only thing giving me goosebumps here is ‘Lidls’ and not the bugs. It’s Lidl!!

Me three - I also sometimes eat mine raw!

We've had a lot of little green caterpillars in our broccoli recently. It's not a big drama. I just take the little creature outside then soak the veg in a bowl of water as I always do. I mean really, if you wash all your fruit and veg properly by putting it in water, then rinse it under the tap before cooking, any insects usually come off.
Even salad leaves from the "ready to eat" bags should be washed. We found a dead dragonfly in some ready to use watercress once.
It's just common sense to wash and check everything before you eat it.

it shows its real