atthew Pickford who bought a Big Tasty with Bacon from the drive thru at the McDonalds at Gapton Hall, Great Yarmouth. He found a cricket inside the burger.Matthew Pickford, 19, said he threw up after he discovered the insect, which resembled a cricket or grasshopper, in the Big Tasty burger he purchased from the drive-in at the McDonald’s at Gapton Hall roundabout.
After finding the dead insect under a tomato Mr Pickford, who lives in Lowestoft and works in Yarmouth as a chef, complained to the environmental health team at Yarmouth Borough Council.
The council sent an environmental health inspector to the McDonald’s. He found there were no pest control issues there.
McDonald’s has apologised to Mr Pickford and said the dead insect was an unfortunate isolated incident.
Mr Pickford, who lives in Roman Road, found the insect on Monday, July 8 after he bought a Big Tasty meal on his way home from work.
He said: “I had bitten into the burger, I then moved a tomato as I don’t like them and saw it (the insect) under it. I could not believe it. I threw up and was sick. I felt disgusted.
“I called the environmental health team and they said there are fields near the McDonald’s so it may have come from there.”
Mr Pickford said after he told McDonald’s what had happened it offered him a refund and asked him to send the burger to it for examination – but he refused.
The borough council inspected the McDonald’s restaurant on Thursday.
Sarah Flatman, the council’s environmental health commercial team manager, said: “A colleague visited a McDonald’s in respect of this complaint. He was completely satisfied with the procedures the company is taking with respect to hygiene and pest control in the premises.”
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “We apologise to Mr Pickford that we did not live up to our usual high standards of food quality and safety.
“As soon as we were alerted to this incident our restaurant team launched an investigation.
“We would like to reassure all of our customers that the restaurant has since had a thorough inspection by the borough council’s environmental health officer, and we can confirm this was an unfortunate, but isolated incident.”
