Given that millions of tons of food is processed and prepared every day its is hardly surprising that strange objects turn up in the finished product from time to time.
Unfortunately, in a world in which the media are hungry for sensational news (pun intended) each discovery receives maximum publicity.
However hard they try, and no matter what quality controls are in place, food manufacturers and suppliers simply can’t catch everything all the time. When something like this happens the supplier usually does all in its power to try to make things right. Apart from a refund or exchange, it is not uncommon for financial compensation to be offered.
Unfortunately, knowing this, some people have been tempted to make false claims in the hope of gaining a substantial settlement. Whether the claim is valid or not, the damage to the food supplier is almost automatic because of the publicity.
However, be warned that if you falsely claim you’ve found some foreign object in your food, you may be liable to a claim from the supplier. In the U.S., many states have laws allowing suppliers, manufacturers, and restaurants, etc., to recover damages if they’ve been harmed by such a false claim. This could cost you thousands of dollars or more.
It must be emphasized that, despite the examples below, foreign objects in food are extremely rare:
1. A dead mouse
A 4 cm-long dead mouse was found in a loaf of bread. The bread’s manufacturer, Premier Foods, immediately apologized and was fined $25,000. The mouse’s tail was never found.
2. Dead pickled rat
A nine-inch long, dead rat was found suspended in a pickle jar. The retailer, Asda, compensated the customer with $150 and a Christmas ‘trolley dash.’
3. Wire brush
A customer discovered a five-inch wire brush in a McDonald’s burger in Kidderminster, U.K.
The company apologized and offered a refund and a statement claiming they were “very sorry.” A spokesperson confirmed that McDonald’s “take the safety and quality of its food very seriously indeed.”
4. Dirty dishcloth
A loaf of bread bought at a Tesco supermarket in Chepstow. U.K., was found to contain a dirty dishcloth that had been accidentally baked into the bread. Tesco released a statement saying they were “very sorry for this extremely rare find” and confirmed that they had rung the customer to apologize.
5. Black widow spider
An unlikely stowaway was found in a bunch of grapes – a black widow spider, one of the most venomous in the world. Tesco commented: “we are committed to reducing pesticide use. Before grapes leave the US each box is checked but we apologise for any distress this may have caused.”
6. Maggots
This discovery was made in Australia when a customer claimed to have found at least 20 maggots crawling inside his Big Mac, bought at a McDonald’s in Victoria. McDonald’s However, the fast-food giant insisted that they weren’t to blame, saying that insect contamination was “not possible.”
7. A one-inch nail
This was found in a Tesco Value macaroni meal. Unfortunately for the customer, the discovery was too late as she had already swallowed it. This was confirmed by an X-Ray. Tesco issued a recall of the product and said that they were carrying out an “urgent and thorough investigation.”
8. Cigarette fried rice
A customer reheated a bowl in the microwave she was overcome by a strong smell of smoke. She initially thought the fumes were caused by the microwave which she had bought a few days earlier. However, when she went to feed the rice to her daughter she found the discarded cigarette smoldering in the middle.
9. Razor blade kiev
A customer bought the twin-pack of fresh garlic and parsley chicken kievs from her local supermarket. But when she cut into the snack up her knife hit a sharp piece of metal – an inch-long razor blade was inside. She received an apology.
10. Gold teeth
A customer claimed to have found a gold tooth in his Mars bar. He said, “I managed to cough it up and at first thought it was a bit of metal or something. With closer inspection I realized it was a gold tooth with a bit of the tooth still attached.”
These examples of disgusting objects found in food are disturbing, but it’s important to maintain a sense of proportion.
Have you ever found something in your food that shouldn’t be there? How do feel about people who try to “Play The System” and make false claims?
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