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 the barbecue 'ban' is for disposal barbecues,that people are using in public spaces like parks, and not extinguishing them properly after use,also the risk of sparks flying where there is a lot of tinder-dry grass and shrubs. I don't think it applies to people using 'proper' barbecues in their own back gardens.

How did you store your Morrison burger in the car and before you undercooked it?
No one else was sick and you saw that the burger looked pink and under cooked.

You don’t eat pink burgers!

I haven’t read all of the comments but as someone who works retail this is the type of behaviour we have to put up with every day. The next time you wonder why staff are miserable it’s probably because of complaints like this due to the compensation culture we’ve created.

This is the laugh I needed this morning! So the burger was in date and you just didn’t cook it through properly and you blame Morrisons! If you wanted to make a few more laugh this morning head to Morrisons and tell customer services why you think this warrants compensation!

Cooking Guidelines direct from Morrisons website

Barbecue - From Chilled. Follow the above grill 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. Please ensure that the product is piping hot throughout before serving. Do not reheat. Ensure product is thoroughly cooked and that no pink colour remains.

Let’s hope the sparks and embers don’t float your way then

Absolute stupidity having any type of BBQ with lit/naked flame with wood.

Am I missing something here? How on earth do the bacteria and microbes know what the quality of the meat is? It's not about the quality of the meat, it's because it's minced, so bacteria ends up inside the burger. It's not like steak.

I cannot believe people are still answering this thread seriously. Read the OP's posts elsewhere....

I’m sorry you got poorly, however the packet of the burgers will state do not eat if pink is still present make sure burgers are cooked through and hot.
nothing Morrisons can do.
hope you fell better soon

No one else was ill. The food was within date of use. Maybe you were ill anyway. Maybe it was something else. Maybe it wasn’t cooked properly.

Where on earth did you get the idea that the packaging date was wrong? Made up idea ….

Being ill is horrible but I don’t think you can use it as a way to get money!

Common sense! Sausages and minced meat need to be cooked thoroughly.

I'd try your luck, they may take pity on you and offer some money for cooking lessons 🤣

I think the pink burger is more likely to be the issue than the use-by date. You ate them on the actual use-by date, so that in itself doesn’t mean they were unsafe. If the middle was genuinely undercooked, though, that’s a different matter with minced beef as bacteria can be throughout the burger rather than just on the outside.
The fact nobody else is ill doesn’t rule it out, but it doesn’t prove it either. I’d definitely contact Morrisons and give them the batch details so they can investigate, but I don’t think you can conclude their date was wrong or start talking about compensation based on this alone. Also, feeling ill about three hours later doesn’t necessarily prove it was the burger that caused it.

A burger should never be pink in the middle, it's not like steak where the inside is safe but the outside needs to be cooked.
The beef is all minced up and mixed with other bits, hence why you can get ill from not cooking them thoroughly.
A simple Google would tell you this, hopefully you cook them properly next time you have a bbq.

Yes some wonderful replies on here. 😂

I was also wondering how much compensation TammiesBackHurts@ had in mind?

Welcome to AIBU! I’m so glad I don’t eat meat.

The burger was not cooked fully. Seek compensation from DH if you’re looking for someone to blame.

Cooking instructions are on the packet including "ensure no pink remains".

Yes, but the real problem with that, was actually the fact it was unregulated meat. Horse, goat, cow, whatever, the problem was that the meat was not traced and horses tend to receive medication that makes the meat unsafe for human consumption.

It shouldn’t be pink in the middle !

I agree😂

this

sorry you’re unwell but looks like the food was undercooked. It shouldn’t be pink in the middle. Same for sausages and especially chicken. Maybe get a meat thermometer for next time to be sure. Not all meat will have bacteria so some people are lucky.

The Op @TammiesBackHurts didn't come back to update...

But...

there's a whole new thread with an update, and it is just as ridiculous !

the op @TammiesBackHurts has gone from wanting ' compensation ' to her dh ' sueing ' ...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/shopping/5567214-update-on-morissons-situation?page=3&reply=154183031