By JAMIE PYATT
TESCO yesterday admitted using deadly Black Widow spiders to kill off insects in its bunches of grapes.
The shock revelation comes after three women found Black Widows — two of them ALIVE — in fruit they bought at different Tesco stores.
The spiders, which have red markings on their backs, were introduced to Tesco vineyards in California as an alternative to pesticide, following customer demand for “natural” food.
But the grapes are supposed to be hand-checked before being exported.
Tesco spokesman Greg Sage said last night: “We use natural predators on grapes because they prevent insects from puncturing the grapes. The spiders are very effective.
“All I can do is apologise for any distress this may have caused. We’ve spoken to our suppliers to ensure that the checking process is as good as it can be.
“The fact that the spiders are alive is evidence that we’re not using pesticides — because if we were they’d be dead.”
A Foods Standard Agency spokesman said: “The local authority has powers to take action.”
London-based spider expert Paul Hillyard said: “Black Widows can cause considerable damage with a bite which is potentially lethal.”
 EDWARD Cooper, 10, and sister Sophie, five, whose mum Linda, 39, found a Black Widow in Tesco grapes at Fleetsbridge, Dorset.
 STEPH Thorneycroft, 43, of Wimborne, Dorset, who found a Black Widow in grapes from Tesco at Ferndown. She said: "I screamed."
 LINDY and Jaime Bolzern stare at the dead Black Widow that mum Noelle of Southport found in grapes she bought for them at local Tesco. |