Food Warning If Your Pregnant!!!!!!

Hi girls
I have just come home from taking the family to HUNGRY JACKS (Burger King) I promised the kids because they were good for me while at the Dr's.

While I was there I seen containers of Tomatoe (4) and lettus (2) all cut up just sitting on a bench waiting to be used. No chilling at all other than the air con.
When I questioned staff I was told it was "their policy" they can have it out for 6 hours before it is binned. The manager told me himself that these containers of tomatoes and lettus was cut up at 9am (it was 2.30pm when I was there).

When I came home I did some ringing around to find out that food that has been cut up has to be used with in 2 hrs or binned. (it also has to be kept in at least a bay marie/cooler).

I have since rang the Food Authority and they are acting on my info this afternoon.

SO ALL PREGNANT WOMEN IF THIS IS THEIR POLICY ALL THEIR SALAD STUFF IS A HAVEN FOR BACTERIA IN CLUDING LISTERIA WHICH CAN CAUSE A PREGNANT WOMEN TO MISCARRY.

I for one will not be going back to Hungry Jacks while I am pregnant as I don't want to risk food poisoning and miscarriage (just because I had a Whopper).

Cheers
Chris

(LOL I have to tell you, I thought this was going to be anothe rone of those "don't eat xyz" and my first thought when I read the title was "oh, what now?!?!?!?!?!?" LOL :cryinglaugh:)

BUT, seriously, I used to work at Hungry Jacks, so let me help clear this up :)

The tomatoes are cut up on site, but the lettuce comes precut in those bags like the maccas lettuce. They put them in containers to make it easier to reach while making the burgers... usually the salad stuff should be (and was ALWAYS while I was working there) kept in the middle part of the prep bench in dropdown slots which are chilled. I can't imagine that it would be very feasible to keep containers of salad on the bench, especially over the lunch period, so my guess would be they may have just been preped or something, waiting to go in the dropdown slots or back in the fridge. I have a feeling the manager might have been pulling your leg if he said they had been sitting out of the fridge on the bench for 6 hours (and chances are they'd have been used over the lunch period, so I really doubt they were).

Of course, I probably wouldn't recommend eating the salad from there anyway, as you're not supposed to (though when I get the chicken burgers i LOVE i get the lettuce on it just because I forget to ask them to take it off... :doh:)

I reckon you got a dodgy HJs Chris, or maybe the one I worked for was really really strict...
But I hope this makes you feel better about what you ate! :hugs:

Hi Alisia
No like I said they were sitting on a shelf under the area where the burgers were made. 4 containers of cut tom and 2 of lettus. I asked alot of questions while talking to the Manager and chef, they showed me the paper off the front of the big fridge. I seen it with my own eyes. The manager himself told me the tomatoes were cut up at 9am this morning and it was there standard work practice to store them on the shelf under the burger prep area. There was containers of food/ salad stuff being used in the bay marie above.

This is not just a HJ it was the local head office where I thought food would be prepared following Australian Standards of Health and Hygine. I have worked in food prep and I know the standards and that was 10 years ago(while studying), this was a young chef who is supposed to know all the new info on food prep and health and hygine.
If any one was pulling my leg it was the chef as she has no knowledge of food handleing standards at all.

The law is the same now as it was 10 yrs ago if something is cut up it has to be refrigerated and only kept for 2 hrs and then binned.

I could not believe my eyes when I seen it and then to be told it was their policy.
I am just glad that I didn't eat there and that I didn't have my friend with me who has just finished chemo and has a low imune at the moment. My kids take the salad off the burger so they were safe.

I am just going to sit back and see what the Authorities do to this HJ manager and chef as they should be held accountable for it.

To top it off their (chef and manager) customer service is really lacking the crew were great about everything and I think if it was up to the first lady I spoke to she would have binned it. But it wasn't it was up to the chef and manager.

It sounds like where you worked did it the right way as normaly fooin in use is kept in a bay marie (drop down slot with lid) and stand by food is in the fridge, but still there is the 2 hour limit to cut up food refrigerated or not.

I noticed your pregnant and I wish you all the best.
Take care
Chris

:ms: YUCK! I'm going to be asking the manager at the store I eat at about their policies... It sucks that you can't just assume poeple are doing the right or hygenic thing.

Hope the Food Authority is able to do something!!!!!!!!

Sounds dodgy. However, you have more chance of contracting listeria if the salad is precut and cold!

Pregnant women as a rule of thumb should always steer clear of preprepared salad (including on burgers) unless it's at home and you know how and to what standard it was prepared... :hug:

Hi
Today I got call from localfood inspecter.
She also was told about the 6 hour policy and has contacted the head office to get their scientific info on it to prove it is safe.

I think it is suposed to be in the fridge but the chef was not doing the right thing. Anyway going by the way I was trained it is a 2 hour limit for cut up food.
I have totaly gone off HJ. Just the thought of it makes me :ms:.
I will let you know what I find out about this policy as the food inspecter is keeping me updated.
Cheers
Chris

YUK YUK YUK!!! any wonder i got food poisoning a few years ago:(!!

i so cant bring myself to eat there again!!!

I would go further and contact the head office of HJ's (as well as burger king), and CC TT or ACA. And stipulate that in Australia what listeria guidelines are, and unless they want to end up with legal action from some poor woman who has lost their baby they need to advertise their poor food preparation practices or CHANGE and ENFORCE new ones!

Absolutely disgusting!