In recent news we have seen many news press articles, especially in the North West, about restaurants and takeaways being awarded zero star food standard certificates. It has also been reported that well established restaurants, such as Red Hot Buffet in Liverpool, has had customers reporting ‘foreign objects’ in their meals. This kind of complaint is becoming a common occurrence causing concern that there could be an increased risk of food poisoning for customers.
Decomposed Frog in Nandos salad, Manchester
In the past few months, one of the biggest names to be dragged through the headlines was the well know chicken restaurant, Nandos, after it was reported that a decomposed frog was found at the bottom of a salad. Customer, Louise Rudd, expressed her disbelief at how it could have gotten in her meal unnoticed and to make matters worse, Louise said she was physically sick after seeing the frog and had become concerned that she could have caught a disease from her meal.. Nando’s were made aware of the situation and offered her and her family a free meal and a tour around the Lancashire firm ‘Salads to Go’, to see how the salad is processed. However, despite this offer of compensation, coupled with the offered reassurance from Nando’s that that this was an isolated incident, she has insisted that she never eat at Nandos again.
Nandos released this statement regarding the incident:
“We make every effort to ensure that our food is served to the highest standard. We continue to work with all of our suppliers to ensure that they deliver to the quality and standards we expect.”
Red Hot Buffet receiving a zero star hygiene food rating, Liverpool
In recent months, the popular Chinese buffet restaurant, Red Hot Buffet, has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. According to the Liverpool Echo newspaper the restaurant received a zero star rating, which means that ‘Urgent Improvement is Necessary’. One customer found mould on their cake and only realised after tucking into their second slice. The 44-year-old stated:
“I ate one slice and as I went to eat the second piece, I saw the mould. I wanted to vomit, especially after already eating one slice.”
This is not the first time the restaurant has been pulled up about its food hygiene. Last year, environmental health officers ordered the restaurant to shut down and food to stop being served until they were able to meet the required food hygiene standards., found that . The restaurant did reopen shortly afterwards, but in January of this year, a further inspection revealed that once again the standard of food hygiene was not resulting in the restaurant receiving a zero star rating by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
One council spokesperson quoted:
“Red Hot Buffet remains at the zero rating and another inspection is planned in due course.”
How are restaurants assessed?
Environmental health inspectors look at how hygienically the food is handled, prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored. They also look at the condition of the building structure that it is served in to assess its suitability taking into account the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities. An inspection of records, made by managers and staff, are also assessed to see how regularly areas are cleaned and inspected.
How poor food hygiene can cause food poisoning
Food poisoning usually occurs when bacteria develops in food. This is often caused by by poor food hygiene, which leads to the contamination of food. Some examples of poor food hygiene include:
- Not cooking food thoroughly (mainly meat)
- Not correctly storing food that needs to be chilled at below 5C
- Keeping cooked food unrefrigerated for a long period
- Eating food that has been touched by someone who is ill or has been in contact with someone with diarrhoea and vomiting
- Cross-contamination (where harmful bacteria are spread between food, surfaces and equipment)
Can I claim if I get food poisoning?
If you’ve suffered from food poisoning after eating contaminated food, you may be able to claim compensation for the pain, suffering and financial losses received as a result. As with any personal injury claim, the most helpful factor in the success of the claim is proving liability. You can help your case by seeking medical help as soon as you suspect you may be suffering the symptoms of food poisoning and by, notifying the Food Standards Regulations Authority. You should also ensure that you keep the receipts from where you have dined to help you prove you had ordered the food from the particular cafe or restaurant. If you are forced to take time off work because of the symptoms,it can also be of great help to your claim, to keep a record of financial losses, such as time off work or cancelled holidays.
How to start your claim
If you’ve had food poisoning, give Scott Rees & Co a call and speak with one of our friendly advisors. They will listen to the details of your potential claim and explain what the next steps are, if indeed you do have claim.
For more information on food poisoning claims, call us on 0800 61 43 61 or fill out our claim form and a member of our team will get in touch with you straight away.