“It was terrible. I went through the roof when I heard what happened,” said Thomas Sällström, the girl’s grandfather.
He arrived at his daughter’s house shortly after his granddaughter realized a mummified mouse was nestled among the chips.
“They were just sitting eating chips like you would on any normal Saturday night and then this happened,” he told The Local.
“She didn’t actually eat the mouse, but did get some hair in her mouth.”
The bag was purchased at local Ica Maxi grocery store, part of the same grocery chain plagued by a spate of recent food safety scandals. The chips, a type of natural corn chips, are manufactured under the Ica brand name.
Sällström has already been in touch with Ica, as well as food safety inspectors who are currently examining the carcass and trying to determine how it ended up in the bag.
“They gave us 1,000 kronor ($165), sent us flowers, and offered to pay for some psychological help. Frankly, I’m not impressed,” he said
The teenage vegan has been severely traumatized by the event. She now pours all her food into bowls before eating it.
As of Friday, nearly two weeks after the event, the girl was admitted to hospital with a high fever and sores in her mouth.
“The doctors aren’t sure if it’s related to the mouse incident, but she’s not doing well at all,” said Sällström.