Shoprite has apologised to customers after an outcry on social media over photographs of a rat feasting on pastries and cakes for sale at one of their stores in Yeoville‚ Johannesburg.

Twitter erupted with complaints on Wednesday as the images were shared by people demanding to know what was being done to address the problem.

In one of the images a rat can be clearly seen‚ standing on a pile of gingerbread men advertised at R1‚99 each. A tray of creamy doughnuts was perched above the rat.

Although being circulated on Wednesday‚ the original images were posted on Facebook on June 5 by Pretty Ndhlovu with a message that said: “So today I decided to grab a pie from Shoprite Yeoville … got to the ovens and waited for help which took 10 good minutes of pure neglect ….

“THEN BOOM. Mr Rat was right in front of me feasting on those yummies.”

Shoprite reacted swiftly on Wednesday‚ describing it as an unfortunate incident. In a brief statement to customers‚ the retailer said: “We are sorry that such an unfortunate incident happened in our store.

“We have already taken action on June 5 to address the problem and all affected stock was destroyed.

“We have also implemented measures to address pest control in the store and prevent any further chance of rodents entering the store from outside. We can assure you that food safety and hygiene are non-negotiable in our business.”