Morrisons launch investigation over contaminated minced beef
The retailer confirmed to FoodManufacture.co.uk that it investigating claims a couple from Hull found a six-inch long and one-inch wide piece of plastic sticking out of the meat, but declined to comment any further.
Ian Moulson and Karen Cawkwell of Branshome made the discovery when they were preparing dinner for their two-year-old son Caleb on Saturday afternoon (June 13), according to the Hull Daily Mail.
Shocked and disgusted
Moulson admitted it was unlikely he would have cooked the meat without noticing the plastic, but said it was still “shocked” and “disgusted” by the discovery.
“There was a piece of plastic about six inches long and one inch across sticking out of the meat,” he told the local paper.
“This bit of plastic was very sharp and could have easily done some damage if I wasn’t careful.”
Contamination cases
- Morrisons meat contaminated with plastic
- Dead lizard found in Euro Foods canned tomatoes
- Dead lizard vacuum packed in Aldi cucumber
- Dead mouse in Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut
"It's something that could have been really dangerous to customers but the thing I can’t understand is how that piece of plastic got there in the first place.
"I can't believe it wasn't spotted by anyone before it went on the supermarket shelf.”
Morrisons did provide the couple with a replacement packet, but Moulson said he threw it straight in the bin.
Think twice about shopping there
He said the incident had made him think twice about shopping at Morrisons for cheaper deals on meat.
Morrisons told Moulson that it would take it four to six weeks to investigate the incident, he claimed.
The retailer declined to comment on the length of time the investigation could take.
The contamination will come as unwelcome news to Morrisons, which reported a rise in sales for the first time in 18 months, last month.
Its sales rise of 0.1% was a result of loyal customers responding well to a number of initiatives put in place since ceo David Potts took over in March, Kantar Worldpanel said.
