A woman was left seething with anger after a cigarette butt and ash was discovered in her child's Happy Meal from a local McDonald's in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Gemma Kirk-Bonner, 35, had taken her 1-year-old son Caleb and 3-year-old son Jackson for a treat, but what they found among the fries was far from a child's delight.
Returning home with the supposedly kid-friendly meal, Gemma was left "fuming" when she stumbled upon this unexpected, and unwelcome, addition to her family's dinner.
In a Facebook post that quickly gained attention, she wrote, "Forget the toy… now comes with a cigarette end and ash for extra taste." She also mentioned that when she called the outlet to lodge a complaint, she was rudely spoken to and the call was abruptly disconnected.
"I gave my three-year-old his without looking. Then I put my one-year-old in his high chair, and I was feeding him by hand. I was picking the [food] up for him," Gemma told The DailyMail. "That’s when I noticed the ash and the cigarette in the box. It was disgusting. I was absolutely fuming. If I’d given the box to my three-year-old, he would have tried to eat it. He wouldn’t have known it was different."
What's particularly distressing is that, according to Gemma, no apology has been extended to her. The manager at the McDonald's location even hung up on her.
This incident has shaken her trust in the fast-food giant, as she expressed, "It has put me off. It’s made me think twice about going to McDonald’s. I normally take my sons on the Friday, but I won’t be doing it this time, that’s for sure. I’m in the process of complaining to McDonald’s head office."
The local franchisee, Mark Blundell, stressed the importance of food safety, emphasizing quality control and providing the highest standards for customers. He encouraged Gemma to contact customer services to properly investigate the issue and find a resolution.
Last year, a Mississippi teen was allegedly left "traumatized" after finding a half-smoked cigarette in her Burger King chicken fries. In 2021, a Florida woman claimed to have found a cigarette wrapped up with her soft-shell taco from Taco Bell.
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