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?

I think everyone has covered that the burgers werent cooked properly as they ahould not be pink in the middle.

You and husband should buy a meat thermometer to use in future, I have one and its super useful.

Hope you feel better soon x

Can get food poisoning very quickly. Depends on the type of bacteria.

Eating something on its use‑by date is absolutely fine, that’s what the date is for. The issue is more likely the cooking. Supermarket burgers need to be cooked all the way through, and ‘bright pink in the middle’ means they weren’t. If nobody else who ate the same burgers got ill, it’s very unlikely to be a Morrisons food‑safety issue. You can contact them if you want, but compensation is extremely unlikely

Very hard to prove especially when it only affected one person out of the whole lot. I'd say it's more to do with being undercooked than anything else.
Can't see how that would be a them problem.

@TammiesBackHurts
People can be so rude.
OP, think of it like this, when you have a slab of meat, for example, a steak, the bacteria is all over the outside, so you sear the outside to kill that bacteria
Burgers are basically mashed up steak, so all that bacteria on the outside gets mixed up in the middle. So needs fully cooking through to get to all that bacteria.

Lucky it was a raw burger and not a raw dog. 🤣

Haven't they found horsemeat in mince before?

They might offer a replacement pack of burgers.

Apart from knowing this anyway, a lot of things like burgers have instructions telling you to make sure they are thoroughly cooked. They were within date.so it is not Morrisons' responsibility.

Nobody else got sick. You ate (presumably) minced beef that was still pink. There is nothing to suggest the supermarket is liable for you being sick so I cannot see what you would be compensated for, and on what grounds ?

Oh dear, someone didnt get his insurance choice then! Clearing it is!

Honestly I don't think you can blame Morrisons for this one - and I say that as someone who loathes Morrison and wouldn't shop there if you paid me, having had multiple bad experience with our local branch.

Yes you should definitely be awarded millions in compensation. You absolutely have a strong legal case against them. 😐

Burgers are not suppose to be pink.
Steak Yes
Burgers No

Food poisoning can come 24 hours after eating the contaminate. I doubt you'll get anywhere with Morrisons for meat you've cooked outside. Especially when nobody is supposed to be having BBQs ATM.

But yeah, it's not supposed to be pink in the middle.

I wouldn't have the cheek to make the complaint based on what the OP has said!

Proof that someone will always defend the o.p no matter how ridiculous and unbelievable it is

Where are you getting it from that the date was incorrect? Am I missing something?

Sounds like whoever cooked didn't do a thorough job. There's your answer. You're not going to get any compensation.

I thought we weren't supposed to be having barbecues.

The government text message I received yesterday said not to use disposable barbecues and nothing about no barbecues at all

It said not to use anything that could spark a fire.

Your meat may have been fine, it could be something else on the bbq like chicken which was touched with hands when raw, and then hands not cleaned, touched burger and salmonella is passed on. Likely undercooking given the colour comment but could be something else too.

Please try and report back to us with the outcome

Burgers made from minced beef should be cooked thoroughly. If they are still pink in the middle,there is a significant risk of food poisoning.