To not expect to find BEEF in my vegetarian chilli

[Katiekitty]

Last night I opened a tin of chilli for dinner (I know, I know, just call me Nigella!), I cooked it, started tucking in when, what's this? I pulled out a forkfull of beef!beef I ask you! Not strictly a vegetable... Not what I expected, nor what I wanted as I'm a vegetarian and it said clearly on the label 'suitable for vegetarians' and indeed, for vegans. Not in my book.
AIBU to expect my vegetarian dinner to be beef-free?

Ah knick knack - i wish!

Maybe one day though? You'll be flicking through the DM and I'll pop up!

only if someone links to that DM article on mumsnet though

Oh my goodness Knick Knack, I hope you don't think I was implying you're their reader I would never do such a thing, please accept my apology!

lol

I used to work for a large retailer and we once got a complaint from a customer. The raisins she had bought were seeded rather than seedless. This, she claimed, had ruined the cake she had made... which in turn had ruined her wedding... and so thought we should pay the £10,000+ for the ruined wedding. There is such a thing as a limitation of liability and the test is one of 'reasonableness'. The customer cited was taking the claim well beyond that test. She was compensated for the cake.. not the wedding.

Your story of meat in a can of vegetable chilli is horrible & the manufacturer has some serious contamination problems in their factory... but... it is reasonable to have been compensated £50 or maybe £100 for a product that caused you some upset but no physical harm. I think that trying to escalate it to 'national scandal' is unreasonable.

Chil - they don't know what meat it was - thinking rat/mouse whatever.

Also what if your religion forbids you to eat certain meats - you'd feel awful. This is a serious problem

If Stagg had on the label something like you see on products - made in factory that also processes milk, nuts etc or may contain meat warning. At least pople would know it might have meat in.

This chilli is recommended by the veg society & I look out for products like this.

agree with CHil. I would have been very happy with £50

Chil - would you say the same if it was a Muslim customer who complained? Being tricked into eating meat would be appalling for most vegetarians, just as bad as accidentally eating pork for a Muslim or Jew. £50 doesn't even begin to cover it.

Just because it may not be a big deal to you, doesn't make it trivial to people who have different beliefs to yours.

Katiekitty, if you go onto the consumerdirect website, there is lots of advice from Trading Standards and probably information about the Small Claims Court - it's very easy to make a claim but you are limited to a ceiling value of I forget what.

(I just used one of consumerdirect's template letters to see off a dodgy firm of debt collectors who were trying to harass me for money I do NOT owe, btw. They backed down by return of post!)

If the contaminant in the food is dangerous... glass, poison, an allergen (stated as not present), vermin ... and causes or has the potential to cause the buyer actual harm then the level of compensation that is 'reasonable' is going to be higher than if it causes upset or distress. (Religious or otherwise.)

As regarding being 'tricked' into eating meat deliberately. If the company (like the McDonalds case) was routinely adding meat to their vegetarian products and not declaring it on the label then they should expect to be prosecuted. Similarly if they were operating poor hygiene standards and not following due dillgence procedures. Isolated incidents are not on that level.

chil - how do you know this was an isolated incident? Could have been in many cans. If you're selling something you have to correctly state what it is. Foods have to list the ingrediants. It's the law. Stagg didn't do this. I'm so shocked my this. Had the veggie logo on it. It sickens me.

"Foods have to list the ingrediants"

This is unlikely to be an 'incorrect food labelling' matter and much more likely to be one of contamination. If the OP had found a rusty nail in the can that wouldn't be in the ingredients list either. Food producers are strictly regulated and subject to inspection but mistakes can happen. If they get a complaint of a contaminant a responsible company would shut down the line, clean it out and inspect before restarting.

chil- it's not a nail but meat in a veggie certified product. If your relgion forbids eating certain meats then you buy veggie products & the meats you can eat.

Here Stagg foods have veggie labelling but are not selling veggie products. That's wrong imho.

good lord lighten up. No one has died

Can't understand how others don't respect people not eating meat on religious grounds or moral belief.