Should I just eat it and not complain??

[Ironmanrocks]

Hi all,
My DP has been off today, so I cheekily asked him to sort us a lovely meal tonight. I just arrived home and he has proudly showed me a meal deal from m&s that he has for us in the fridge. All fine. I don't mind that. He got out mine and showed it to me and the card dropped off from around it and he said "it's OK, it's sealed." Except it wasn't, the cellophane top had been peeled off - literally half way across the tub. I don't really fancy it now to be honest - I'm not cross as he didn't do it on purpose, but I remember the horrible incidents in the 80's where glass and poisons were added to food in supermarkets. AIBU not to eat it? Or would you just get on with it and not worry?
Thanks in advance!

Iron the 80's incidents sound awful, couldn't find info about it on Google, what happened?

If it was just the card that had been ripped, yes I would eat it. The actual seal broken/peeled off though? No, I wouldn't.

edmund clara

that's the point I was making, most foods are fine i.e. Fruit/veg, meat bread etc but ready meals (depending on the ingredients) can produce bacteria very quickly once they are not refrigerated and are unsealed therefore letting air to them. There is a reason they are produced then sealed the way they are.

I am quite happy normally to eat things that are out of date or aren't perfect but those are things that you can see and smell are ok, ready meals can look fine but aren't.

My DP has been off today, so I cheekily asked him to sort us a lovely meal tonight

I'm not fussy about food stuff, and happily eat past use by dates and so on, but I wouldn't eat a ready meal that's been opened.

I must admit that I was distracted as to why it's 'cheeky' to ask him to prepare dinner as well.

Ugh, no.

Open film = uncertain food hygiene.

It could have just ripped after he got it home, or it could have been damaged anytime in the production line and be full of anything. No thanks!

I wouldn't eat it and I'm not generally "precious" about this sort of thing.

Those things tend to be a right git to remove the cellophane on which suggests that it could be either deliberate tampering or that there was a malfunction with the machine at the factory and it was never sealed in which case it will have been breeding bacteria like mad.

I think meals like that are pasteurised once sealed. So that's why they say to use within three days of opening, like hummus etc. So the use by may be later than you end up having to eat it by.

So if your meal was opened five days ago it would make you ill.

Oh poor you. Come round to mine, we are having macaroni cheese, and my macaroni cheese is to die for, butter browned onion, a layer of spinach, cheesy breadcrumbs and sliced tomatoes on the top..........

I also don't think it was cheeky to ask him to sort dinner, but would be a bit concerned about the seal. I'm not usually overly worried about these things but they're supposed to be sealed for a reason and you don't know what conditions it's been in. Unless you just mean he opened it to sniff it or something? I'm sure M&S would swap it for a fresh one if asked.

no way would i eat that

I wouldn't eat it, but then I wouldn't deem it cheeky to ask dh to sort dinner if he'd had the whole day off either!

I have no standards and give not one shit about use by dates and stuff. However a ready meal, unlike fruit and veg, it can go off quickly once opened. I wouldn’t eat it.

I'd eat it if I was hungry enough...

This happened to me once with one of the fancy lasagnes from Waitrose - I was really looking forward to it as well I drove back there, showed them the film was half off and they exchanged it for an intact one.

I wouldn't eat it.

Ewwww! No I wouldn't eat it.

I'm pretty easy going with stuff but I will never eat a ready meal with the seal broken because in my head it means it's really really bad and I will get horrific level poisoning

Thanks everyone. I am not eating it - it's got some fish in it which makes it worse (I'm a pesce). The film is pulled half off - it looks ok, not dried out so he's going to cook thoroughly and 'not waste it'. Town is about 7 miles away so not she easy to swap, and he said it was the last one. I just bought a pack of halloumi at the village shop so I'm having that instead! Though I really really fancy your macaroni cheese now viques. Recipe please!
The incidents in the 80's were jam and baby food being spiked with ground glass/poisons anything horrible. They then educated people to check seals and the bubbles on jar lids. There was a massive spate of incidents - it was awful.
Happy Friday everybody!

Oh god he's just served it up to my DS!!!!!

There didn’t used the be bubbles or seals on jars in the early 80s. It was the deliberate contamination of baby food that lead to it being brought in.

I thought that but wasn't certain...