Woman Says She Found Dead Bird in Can of Spinach While Cooking Dinner for Her Family

By Amanda Thomason June 21, 2019 at 1:09pm

Everyone knows that you should get multiple servings of fruits and especially vegetables every day. This is often held more in theory than applied through practice, but it’s ingrained in many people’s minds: five fruits and vegetables a day.

The problem is, many people find them unappetizing. They’re flavorless, or a “gross” flavor, or only palatable with copious amounts of butter, salt and seasoning.

Broccoli, tomatoes, spinach and onions seem to be some of the most polarizing vegetables, high on the refusal list for many kids. But one mom who was just trying to get her greens in for the day might soon be joining their ranks.

Cherie Lyons from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was preparing dinner for her family on June 12 when she allegedly discovered an unintentional ingredient in her side dish.

She tipped out the contents of a can of spinach and tasted a little — which she said she usually does — and then nudged a lump along the edge of the bowl. The lump stayed lumpy, and as she continued investigating she likely gagged in horror.

Warning: Some readers may find the following images disturbing.

“So for dinner tonight i had grilled chicken, baked potato and BABY BIRD…in my spinich!” she wrote on Facebook. “I am traumatized!!”

“I found some weird stuff in can veggies but never anything like this.. I’ve washed my hands a couple times and they still don’t feel clean and I feel nauseated. Somebody will be getting a phone call tomorrow! So so so gross that i almost ate this!”

She posted photos of the nasty find, and viewers have been horrified. The “bird” looks like spinach — being canned along with the leaves could do that — and some people have called foul, but Lyons maintains that despite its questionable appearance it is, indeed, a bird.

“So i called Del Monte and told them about the bird,” she wrote in the comments on her original post. “The representative was in disbelief. He acted like he didn’t believe it. I told him oh no, I have the bird, I have the can.

“So after a conversation he wants me to send the bird to them so he’s sending me stuff that I can send it back to them. And he supposed to get in contact with someone in the department that has to do with safety I forget what it’s was called. So he apologized and said he was going to send a $10 check woohoo.”

More photos were later posted of the alleged ill-fated critter that make a compelling visual argument for the foreign object being more bird and less vegetable.

“I mean to find something like that, it sticks with you,” Lyons told WPMT. “They should have a health inspector check them out because I mean that’s a pretty major thing.”

One of the worst moments was probably when Lyons realized that she’d already ingested some of the can’s contents before noticing what else was lurking in the spinach.

“They carry all kinds of stuff and I thought oh my god and I just ate a bite of that,” she said.

Some viewers have taken the opportunity to urge her to kick canned veggies and stick to fresh or frozen, which she has agreed with. Others have taken the opportunity to point out the macabre humor of the situation, with Trudy Myers Gossert commenting, “Just like a box of Cracker Jack’s. Surprise.”

Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to Del Monte for comment. They responded, saying, “Del Monte Foods is committed to providing high quality, safe and nutritious foods.”

“We are working with the consumer to gather more information and investigate the matter. We implement strict controls throughout our operations to ensure our products meet the highest levels of quality, safety, and purity.”

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