Woman Bitten by Black Widow Spider That Was Hiding in Bag of Grapes

A Vermont woman was hospitalized after she was bitten by a black widow spider when she reached into a bag of grapes she bought from a local Shaw's supermarket.

The woman, whose name has not been released, reached into a bag of grapes and a spider crawled out, biting her, WCAX reported.

"You'll go into the emergency room, they'll monitor you for blood pressure, heart rate, and pain, obviously, and then they'll treat for the pain with either pain medications or a muscle relaxant, and then they'll look to see if the pains get worse and the symptoms get worse," Gayle Finkelstein told WPTZ News.

"The health and safety of products we sell, and our customers, is our first concern," Brian Dowling, a spokesperson for Shaw's Public Affairs, said in a statement. "We have been closely monitoring the situation and been in contact with the family. We replaced the product in the customer's refrigerator as a precaution and took immediate action to inspect the product at the customer's store. We are also inspecting the product in all of our stores and have been in touch with the supplier, which has an extensive food safety management system in place."

According to National Geographic, black widow spiders are considered the most venomous spider in North America. Their venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's.

Shaw's, the supermarket that reportedly sold the family the bag of grapes, has pledged to inspect its products in all of its stores.

The company said: "The health and safety of products we sell, and our customers, is our first concern."

"We have been closely monitoring the situation and have been in contact with the family."