Mom walked away angry after claiming her McDonald’s Happy Meal ‘had ashes and a cigarette butt in it’
- Gemma Kirk-Bonner, 35, said she found a cigarette in her son’s Happy Meal
- She was feeding her one-year-old Caleb when she noticed the cigarette butt
A mother claims she was left “angry” after buying her young son a McDonald’s Happy Meal and finding ashes and a cigarette butt inside.
Gemma Kirk-Bonner said she was “disgusted” by the grim discovery and claimed she was still waiting for an apology from the fast food giant.
The teaching assistant claims she bought the Happy Meal last Wednesday while at McDonald’s in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
The 35-year-old said she bought two fish fingers Happy Meals for her children – Caleb, one, and Jackson, three – costing £3.59 each and then took them home to eat.
But Ms Kirk-Bonner claims she discovered a smoked cigarette and ash among the chips while feeding her youngest son.
Gemma Kirk-Bonner said she was “disgusted” by the grim discovery in the Happy Meal
The 35-year-old bought two fish fingers Happy Meals for her children, priced at £3.59 each
The teaching assistant claims she bought the Happy Meal for her son last Wednesday
She said: “I gave it to my three-year-old without looking.”
“Then I put my one-year-old in his high chair and fed him by hand. I picked up the fish sticks for him.
“That’s when I noticed the ashes and the cigarette in the box.” It was disgusting. I was totally angry.
“If I had given the box to my three-year-old, he would have tried to eat it.” He wouldn’t have known it was any different.
“I posted on Facebook: ‘Forget the toy – now it comes with a cigarette butt.’ [and] Ash for extra flavor because I smoked.
The mother and two children said she later complained to the McDonald’s branch on Dalton Road, but said the manager hung up the phone on her in a “rude manner.”
She now plans to boycott her usual Friday night visits to McDonald’s until the matter is properly resolved.
She added: “It put me off.” It made me think twice about going to McDonald’s.
“I usually take my sons with me on Friday, but this time I definitely won’t.
“I’m in the process of complaining to McDonald’s headquarters.”
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “Food safety is of the utmost importance to us and we place great emphasis on quality control and providing the highest standards to our customers at our restaurant in Barrow-in-Furness.”
“We would encourage the customer to contact customer service so we can properly investigate the matter and help them find a solution.”