[tecomsin]

Yep. Yesterday I discovered I had been eating small pieces of plastic.

A few months ago I started getting about half my meals delivered through a meal delivery service. It's is supposed to be healthy, home cooked food.

Yesterday, I was finding some meatballs very chewy in places and finally on the last meatball decided to investigate.

I found two small pieces (about 1/2 inch in length) of thin plastic in the meatball, maybe originally wrapping of some kind. Then I realized I had likely swallowed quite a few pieces.

Took photographs and sent them to the food service that provided me the meal and put the two plastic pieces I found embedded in a meatball in a sealed envelop.

Don't know if I will eat the rest of the meals I have from them for this week or will order again from them.

Anyway it is kind of a bummer. I was hoping to use this service to help me improve my diet since i stopped cooking.

[Skeezyks]

I'm sorry you had this experience. Many years ago now I was eating a bratwurst in a bun & pulled a piece of a broken bottle out of my mouth. In retrospect I should probably have called the police, or at least the store where the stuff was purchased. But I didn't.

[tecomsin]

Wow Skeezyks, what a story. I am glad you didn't swallow that.

The company said they would inform all the other clients who ordered that meatball dish. I have found the website where to make a complaint to a public official but i doubt I will go that far.

[fern46]

It is so violating to have something like that show up in your food. I do hope the company follows through on the promise to alert others. I had a horrific experience at a restaurant recently and I am still afraid to eat out.

[tecomsin]

Sounds like you've had a similar experience, fern46.

I've also been afraid to eat the rest of the prepared meals I already paid and received from this company. I had been counting on this company and feel really let down and disappointed.

It's a sickening feeling that I was chewing on plastic and finding it difficult to swallow. I thought it was just unusually chewy meat, but that didn't make any sense being inside a meatball, so I finally investigated by cutting the last remaining meat ball into small pieces and then found the two pieces of plastic inside.

I've been ordering from them for months and am now wondering what other contaminants I have eaten.

Maybe I should report this?

Tecomsin, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Out of curiosity, was the food pre-cooked or was it a meal kit with food that you had to cook? I think it's good that you kept the evidence and definitely contacted them. What do they plan to do as an apology? Have they at least reimbursed you for the cost of that meal? I think they should offer much more. Frankly, I would cancel your membership with that food service, regardless. Would you mind sending the name of that food service to me via PM? I only ask because I have been having some fun exploring various meal kit services, and I'd like to avoid that one.

I have only ordered meal kits from ones where I prepare the food from raw ingredients. Luckily, I haven't encountered anything like you did, but occasionally the produce quality has been poor to even rotten on occasions.

Once I was eating at a very fancy restaurant and found a giant staple in my food. They offered to prepare a new dish, but I refused. Luckily, they didn't charge me for the meal. A time in Taiwan, I ordered a dish at a cafeteria type place. It was called "Four Treasures Chicken". Truly! I was eating the drumstick and I noticed a giant worm squirming in it. It was definitely gross! I showed the cooks and kind of yelled, in my best Chinese, "Is this supposed to be the fourth treasure? They refunded me, but it wasn't worth complaining too much about there. Would you believe I decided to go next door to a McDonald's and have a burger to "cleanse my pallet".

[tecomsin]

Hi BirdDancer,

The food is pre-cooked and ready to microwave. This company only serves the location where I live in Canada so you have no worries.

I don't think I would have much of an appetite after finding a worm in my food. Yuck!

The worst part for me is the realization that I swallowed multiple pieces of plastic because I couldn't imagine the prepared food I had received was contaminated.

So far the company has apologized and said they would reach out to others who ordered this dish and would stop by sometime to pick up the envelop with the plastic pieces so they can investigate where it came from.

So far they haven't offered a refund but I imagine they will get around to that.

There is another meal delivery service that I found on the web for where I live so I might try that instead.

[BipolarWolf]

I love my crockpot. I cook with it all the time. you would be surprised at the different meals you can make with one.
very little prep, easy clean up.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by tecomsin

Sounds like you've had a similar experience, fern46.

I've also been afraid to eat the rest of the prepared meals I already paid and received from this company. I had been counting on this company and feel really let down and disappointed.

It's a sickening feeling that I was chewing on plastic and finding it difficult to swallow. I thought it was just unusually chewy meat, but that didn't make any sense being inside a meatball, so I finally investigated by cutting the last remaining meat ball into small pieces and then found the two pieces of plastic inside.

I've been ordering from them for months and am now wondering what other contaminants I have eaten.

Maybe I should report this?

It is a sickening feeling. I was drinking my drink at one of my favorite restaurants and felt something in my mouth. I spit it out and it was a roach. This was at the end of my meal, so I had been drinking dead roach water the entire time. It was so completely disgusting.

I struggled with reporting my incident as well. I hate to take down a thriving business for one mistake. It is hard to know if they are incompetent overall or if it was a one time thing. I do know for sure I will never go back.

[tecomsin]

Oh that is so gross, fern46, but good you didn't swallow the roach. I doubt these are one time things. I understand not going back to the restaurant that served you a dead roach inside a drink.

I am wondering if the plastic pieces I ate are all going to make their way out of my system or if they can get lodged inside.

I also have very mixed feelings about reporting for the same reason as you.

[fern46]

Yeah, it was nasty. I thought at first it was a piece of lemon but then I realized I didn't order lemon. They told me the pest control company had just been by that week. That tid bit did not help me. They comped our meal and I feel they were greatful I didnt scream and alert everyone to what was going on. I just wanted to flee.

I am betting it will pass. Kids and dogs eat plastic all the time. It goes right though them.

[~Christina]

I’m fairly sure you will be receiving a refund and not just on that meal.

Personally I would report them to health inspectors. Maybe ?? That was a just one time screw up??

As mentioned it’s doubtful there will be a problem passing any you have inadvertently eaten, but one more reason to file a complaint, what if you were to have a medical problem due to it? They provide a service and are responsible for the safety of foods.

[*Beth*]

Absolutely sickening and 100% NOT okay. Not okay once, not okay ever.

[tecomsin]

Yes BethRags, I still feel pretty gross about having eaten that plastic and who knows what else was in that meat.

Christina, I'm surprised to say that they issued me a refund but only for that meal. I am not sure if they realize how serious what happened is. I asked them to get back to me when and if they figure out what the contaminant in their meatballs is. The lady who I emailed back and forth with said she would come by this week and pick up the envelop with the plastic pieces in it. I'll see if they do that. If not I'll just have them in my possession in case I want to make a complaint.

fern46, I would have also reacted by just wanting to get out of there. Thanks for your assurance that the small plastic pieces I was chewing on (and had difficulty swallowing when I thought they were just chewy bits of meatball) will eventually pass and not get stuck for ages in my digestive system.

I am a little surprised they are only reimbursing the cost of the meal, but maybe they will offer more later. In any case I am not ordering from them next week and will try a different food delivery company.

[bpcyclist]

Plastic is destroying the planet.

[tecomsin]

I agree, bpcyclist. I just never imagined a company would end up serving it to me in my food.

[sarahsweets]

Did you pay extra for that?

"hello? I will have the beef delight meal pack and with extra plastic and broken glass".
JK.

[tecomsin]

Hey sarahsweets, haha. They did refund me the cost of the meal but that was it. Also, the lady I was in contact said she would be by to pick up the plastic pieces I found in my food but I haven't heard any more from her so I doubt that is going to happen. They have excellent google reviews though. i have thought also about posting something online about this but probably will not.

Meanwhile I have ordered meals from a second meal delivery company I found on the web for my location. I don't see going back to the other company unless they write and tell me they have figured out what the problem was.

[tecomsin]

I've been ordering 4 or 5 meals a week from this company for 3 months. I feel pretty let down in their lack of response. Just took the charge off for that single meal, that is all.

[tecomsin]

So the owner had said they would be getting back in touch with me this week to pick up the plastic pieces I found in the food they provided. That didn't happen.

Nor did I get an explanation for how the plastic ended up in my food.

I am thinking about putting a review on google reviews. I might send one more email asking for an explanation if they have one. What do you think?

[Wild Coyote]

Hey there, tecomsin!

I am very sorry to catch up here and to learn of your difficulties with this meal company.

Personally, I think they are blowing you off, for which I am very sorry.
I used to be a corporate business manager to a large chain of restaurants. If anyone, and I do mean anyone, had any problem, any problem at all. we not only comped all meals at the table, we also gave a gift certificate for each person at the table to visit again, at no charge. No exceptions, unless an exception was made to comp the guests even more for some reason.

The way I look at this is: Food businesses are responsible for the safety of the food they serve, always. Always. No exceptions. Now, there may be some time when things are not up to par. It is more likely the issue(s) are rather chronic. Have you ever reviewed the State Health Inspection Reports on area restaurants? All of the area reports are published in the local papers here. The very same establishments continue to fail or have extremely low scores.. It tends to change only if: the restaurant has been penalized by being shut down for awhile and/or if the establishment changes hands. They have every opportunity and lots of incentives to do better, yet they do not.

I may be too hard on these establishments? I don't think so, from my point of view. It takes a lot for restaurants to meet all of the expectations of the State Board of Health and to pass the inspections with flying colors. Yet, the businesses highly invested in doing well and in keeping things healthy and safe, pass with flying colors, over and over again! Just as the same places fail, over and over again.

I might be more likely to understand IF tecomsin's meal was heated at a commercial garage while she was awaiting a car repair, or some other similar situation.

All kitchens, even those of very small home-based companies, must pass strict inspections. There is no reason, whatsoever,for there to be any contaminant or any foreign body in anyone's food. If it happens anyway, the establishment/business involved had better be falling all over itself showing both concern and remorse.

The consumer and the restaurant/food service are free to settle the issue on their own, of course.
There may be reasons, of which I am not aware, as to why some people may be reticent to report such experiences to health officials.
(For instance it is entirely possible someone has been a long-time patron of an establishment and knows, beyond any reasonable doubt, that such an incident is definitely an aberration from how business is usually conducted. There may be other reasons, as well. I am seeing this from the viewpoint/standards of a highly dedicated food business manager looking out for the health and the overall welfare of all customers, at all times No exceptions.)

In either case, the company involved should be showing a huge amount of responsibility, a boatload of concern, for the health and welfare of the customer(s) and a great deal of concern for the ways in which other customers might be affected/protected. If not, they are blowing the whole incident, and their responsibilities, off entirely.

I hope both of you, tecomsin and fern, never have similar experiences. It's very disheartening, to say the least.

(Believe it or not, the experiences you have both endured are the nightmare of responsible food service staff, managers and of corporate offices. Many will respond accordingly, especially in the current days of internet reviews, etc.)

[Wild Coyote]

Just an FYI: I do not know what is becoming of food safelty, supplement safety, etc. I had been taking capsules of ginger root for months. One day, I was out of fresh ginger root and wondered if I might be able to make a decent cup of tea with the powdered ginger root in the capsules of the supplement form. I opened one up and there were chunks of some type of hard, glassy plastic objects in the powder, inside of the capsule. I opened several more and did find some of the same in another capsule.

I was very disheartened. I did report it to the corporate offices of the company (via certfied letter), to the State Health Department, to the Better Business Bureau (as they tend to make the business(es) make things right with the consumer and the files remain for the public to review should they ever check the BBB records/filings)), etc,

Unfotunately, it seems all too common for there to be foreign objecst in foods. A part of the problem may be that the public, in general, may not demand better. People often view events like these as just a part of today's busy society, etc. (I do not think everyone should report in every case. I do , however, believe that if more cases were reported, the standards might not slide downward, or at least not so rapidly. Just my 2 cents. Lol. )

[tecomsin]

Hey WC, thanks for your responses. I am sorry to hear you have also had a problem with foreign objects in your food/supplements. I decided to send another email to the company asking them if they still wanted to pick up the piecs of plastic I found in their meat, or if they had figured out how their food was contaminated.

They were supposed to get back to me and given that they haven't I also don't believe that they got in contact with all the other people who ordered this dish.

The plastic was deeply embedded in the meat balls so it was clearly there when it was being mixed together.

I decided I may get in touch with the health authority next week if I don't get an answer from them that they are taking this seriously rather than just blowing me off.

As you suggested I did review the health inspection reports for this establishment and they are all fine.

ps I was also really shocked that they didn't offer any gift certificate or anything more than a refund for that single meal. I had ordered 4 or 5 meals a week from them for the last three months.

[Wild Coyote]

Hi! I am glad to see you back around. I am just sorry you have been going through this event and have been trying to find a viable resolution.. It can take a toll on anyone.

I am SHOCKED you were not offered more than the compensation of that one meal. It makes no sense to do that. It does nothing for you. They bought back their own "contaminated'" meal. That is it. ??? I do not know just who makes those decisions; I think this decision is remiss.

I am now wondering as to the size and the age of this company? These two factors can make a huge difference as well. Sometimes, younger or greener managers do not know what to do when something like this happens. If the business is new and/or is struggling financially, they may not have much they feel they can offer because they haven't enough money to offer much.of anything.

I wonder about this business and wonder how old, how stable, how profitable it is at this time.

Even so, someone should have immediately and fully attended to this situation in satisfactory manner.
It would not surprise me if there are guidelines these businesses must follow if/when they receive these types of complaints.
It all seems so very remiss.

You can guess your options better than anyone here, as you live in a different area than some of us, with some different agencies. Additionally, you are a very bright and a very logical person!

Edit: To be fair, now that I think of it, I was able to offer patrons a great deal of immediate compensation because the business was HUGE and giving away large amount of comped meals, gift cettificates, etc,, caused no hardship at all to the corporation.. It is likely to be very different for small businesses, new businesses ,etc.

I hope all else is going well for you, tecomsin! You do cross my mind and I do wonder how you are getting on in life!

[tecomsin]

Well the company owner stopped by today and picked up the envelop with the two pieces. I asked them to keep the envelop and pieces securely as evidence in case anyone wanted to look at it eventually.

They said later that they think this material came from their supplier of ground beef tenderloin and is called silverskin, so it wouldn't be plastic but some inedible piece of the cow.

After some back and forth they understood that having 1/2 inch pieces of material that resembles plastic in their ground beef is abnormal for Canada and needs to be reported once the source is determined.
He is waiting for their chefs to come in during the week and will get back to me.

It's a big relief to find out it probably wasn't plastic I ate. I ordered from a different meal service company and am awaiting delivery today. Ordered Indian food yesterday and have got lots of left overs if for some reason they don't show up.