Supermarket worker caught using spit to clean baskets

Witnesses have described their horror after seeing a supermarket worker in Canada using his own spit to clean up baskets.

The footage shows the man appearing to spit on a towel and then use it to wipe down the green shopping baskets.

Witness Marta Casimiro, who shot the video, says she could not believe what she was seeing.

"I couldn't believe that. I was in shock … I feel sick," she told Canada's City News.

She said she first started filming because she noticed the baskets were dirty and intended to draw attention to that with the store's management.

Casimiro said she wanted to show the baskets were not being cleaned properly but didn't expect to catch the "unacceptable" act on video.

The customer said she called the FreshCo store manager and, after not hearing back for several days, was told the cleaner had been suspended.

However, she said she was the subject of "very bad customer service" and felt that the store was protecting the worker.

"[The manager] said he didn't want to see the video. He didn't believe me and he treated us very badly," she told the media outlet.

She explained that she just wants to feel safe when going to the supermarket, particularly in the midst of a pandemic.

"It is completely against the standards we work so hard to achieve in our stores each day," the store said in a statement.

"The health and safety of our customers and teammates is our top priority – that has never been more true than right now, through the Covid-19 pandemic."