AIBU for wanting compensation from Morissons after getting ill from BBQ?

[TammiesBackHurts]

Had a BBQ at ours last evening. It was me, DH, our two DC, my MIL and FIL, my sister and her partner. DH popped into Morrisons at about 2:30 to get the food, including a packet of their own-brand burgers.

We started the BBQ at 6:15 and ate at about 7ish. DH was cooking while I was getting everything else ready, so I wasn’t really watching the BBQ. Luckily… it was sweltering next to it. Got my burger straight off the thing, nothing wrong with it, just that normal brown edges and that bright pink in the middle just like you get from a BBQ burger. At about 10 I started feeling really unwell and was vomiting during the night. It’s now 7pm the day after and I still feel awful. This morning I looked at the burger packet and noticed the eat by date was 14/08/26, which is the exact day we ate them.

What is making me suspicious is that it was Morrisons own-brand food, so presumably Morrisons are responsible for making sure the date printed on their packaging is correct. If the date is wrong, how are customers supposed to know whether the food is actually safe? I relied on the date when I ate it. Nobody else who ate the burgers seems to have become ill, but I don’t think that necessarily rules them out because people react differently and I may have eaten more than everyone else. I still have the packaging and the receipt from Morrisons, so I have proof of exactly what I bought and when.

I’m considering contacting Morrisons and asking them to investigate the batch and explain why I’ve become ill after eating something on the actual use-by date. I’m also wondering whether I should be asking for compensation, because if their date was incorrect then surely that’s quite a serious food safety issue? AIBU?

If no one else got ill, I think it must have been something else.

Why was it pink in the middle? That might answer what went wrong. Minced beef needs to be cooked right through.

Bright pink in the middle = not cooked sufficiently to eradicate the harmful bacteria.

You didn't cook it properly. I doubt very much that a Morrisons burger should be bright pink in the middle.

So Morrisons sold in date food and your husband didn't cook them thoroughly enough and you think that's a good reason to complain and expect compensation? Please tell me this is a wind up?

Why was it pink in the middle? There is your answer.

Minced items need to reach 70° all over before eating, where as non-minced beef just needs to be seared on all outer surfaces.

There is nothing in this that suggests it’s their fault. Also the burgers will be produced in a meat factory that makes burgers for loads of companies, not just Morrisons

You want compensation from a supermarket because your family failed to properly cook in date food?

You obviously didnt cook it properly

You ate a raw burger.

I wouldn’t have a supermarket burger pink in the middle!

Supermarket burger served pink in the middle off a barbecue 🙄. You big dafties.

Burgers should never be bright pink in the middle. No wonder you’ve been vomiting.

Take it up with the chef, not the supermarket!

You can only have burgers pink in the middle if they are very good quality.

The burgers were not sufficiently cooked if they were pink on the inside.

Never eat pink burgers
They need to be cooked all the way through - it’s a thing.
With rare or medium rare steaks, all bacteria are on the outside and so searing the outside kills bacteria
With burgers or kofte or any minced meat, the bacteria have been brought into the middle of the meat and so it should be cooked all the way through to avoid food poisoning.

Burgers should not be pink in the middle

Why are you assuming it’s the Morrison’s burger?

Tammie, try cooking your food properly next time 🙃

Should NOT be pink!

It sounds as if the burger was undercooked to me. Unless you're buying prime beef and mincing it to make burgers yourself, they need to be very thoroughly cooked because any harmful bacteria on the surface of the meat is mixed all the way through it when it's chopped up and reformed, as opposed to a blue steak which is cooked as it is.

The vast majority of food poisoning cases are self inflicted, as I learned when I did my environmental health exams back in the day.

This is a tall tale probably designed for us to show off our food hygiene knowledge about pink middles in burgers being dodgy as F.

Please do not contact Morrisons. The food was in date when you ate it. The problem is
“ just that normal brown edges and that bright pink in the middle just like you get from a BBQ burger”.
No burger bought from Morrisons should be pink in the middle. It should be cooked through so it is not pink and should have a core temperature of at least 75oC.
Yes we can eat rare burgers but there are very specific controls in place for the meat that would be minced for the making of such burgers. But def not a Morrisons burger. So whoever cooked the BBQ poisoned you and not Morrisons.

You can’t prove that it was the burgers. But either way, just because I love a retail complaint. Can you prove that you have followed the below cooking instructions exactly:

Air Fry - From Chilled. Based on air-fryer capacity number of pieces minimum 1.8L - 1 piece minimum 3.8L - 2 pieces Pre-heat air fryer to 170°C. Remove all packaging. Place burgers in basket, spread evenly in a single layer. Cook for 14-15 minutes, turn halfway. Allow to stand for 1 minute.
Warning
Caution do not overfill the air fryer.; Barbecue - From Chilled. Follow the above instructions then place immediately onto a pre-heated barbecue for a further 5 minutes to finish off.; Cooking Instructions - General. Cooking appliances vary. These instructions are given as a guide. Ensure product is thoroughly cooked and that no pink colour remains. Do not reheat.
Safety
Store raw meat covered at the bottom of the fridge.
Use separate kitchen utensils and surfaces for raw meat and poultry or wash thoroughly after use. Keep raw meat and poultry separate from cooked foods, Wash hands after handling raw meat and poultry.; Grill - From Chilled. Pre-heat grill on high heat, remove all packaging and place the burgers under the pre-heated grill on the middle shelf for 12-14 minutes, turning halfway through.

^ I very much doubt it from your description. In which case - no case. The most they will do for you is a refund as a gesture of goodwill.