Shoppers Just Spotted a Rat in One of America’s Largest Grocery Chain’s Southern Locations

Back in May, a mouse was seen eating out of a meat showcase at a Whole Foods location in Manhattan. A TikTok video of the incident went viral, and now history is seemingly repeating itself. Over the holidays, a rodent was spotted in the meat section of a Kroger store in Atlanta.

User @dblack15 posted a TikTok video on Dec. 23, which appears to show a rat scurrying across whole turkeys. In the clip, an individual with a trash can attempts to lure the rodent out of the store's freezers. The social media user captioned the video "Kroger RATS" and added hashtags such as #dekalbcounty, #healthdepartment, #atlanta, and #kroger.

As of Dec. 28, the clip had been liked nearly 230,000 times and viewed more than 5.5 million times. You can watch the video here, but first, be aware that it features explicit language.

No other information is available, such as how the rat got into the store or was subsequently removed from it, is available. However, America's largest grocery chain said it took swift action to remedy the situation.

"This video is disturbing, and we have taken quick action to remediate the situation, including thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the store and partnering with a local pest company," a Kroger spokesperson told Eat This, Not That!.

This is good news, since rats can carry more than 35 diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of rodents, through contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, or through rodent bites," the federal agency says on its website. "Diseases carried by rodents can also be spread to humans indirectly, through ticks, mites or fleas that have fed on an infected rodent."

A TikTok user who commented on the video of a rat in the New York Whole Foods identified themselves as a grocery industry veteran. They wrote that there are "rats in your local store" whether it's "high end or not." '"Sometimes, they come in the truck palettes," they added.

Whatever the case may be, if you're feeling inspired to do some cleaning now, here are two easy steps to getting rid of bacteria and germs in your kitchen, according to an expert.

For more on what's happening at your neighborhood supermarket, check out:

And to get all of the latest grocery store news delivered right to your email inbox every day, sign up for our newsletter!