Mexican grapes banned after spiders discovered

New Zealand biosecurity officials are telling supermarkets to clear Mexican grapes from their fruit and vegetable sections after venomous spiders were discovered in some consignments.

The Ministry for Primary Industries said on Wednesday it was taking the precautionary measure to ensure that any spiders that may have entered the country in Mexican grapes were identified and destroyed.

So far, 10 spiders had been found in grapes at several locations around the country on both main islands, MPI manager surveillance Brendan Gould said in a statement.