A woman in Bolivia was eating her burger when she found a finger in it. A man lost two fingers in a meat grinder, and only one has been found so far. The authorities launched an investigation.
On September 12, local media reported a woman in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the largest city in Bolivia, was “eating and chewing” the burger she ordered when she found a piece of finger in it.
She was only offered her money back, almost “as if nothing happened,” and decided to post a message on Facebook, which became viral.
A picture circulates on social media with a burger on a plate, and what appears to be a part of a shredded phalanx with its nail.
The local fast-food chain, with about 20 restaurants in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, published a note three days later mentioning a “fortuitous incident” with one of their employees and immediately activated emergency protocols for his safety.
It has also activated an internal investigation protocol to know “how an external element of our products reached one of the branches of our chain.”
A few hours earlier, a note from Jorge Silva, the Vice Minister of the Defense of Users and Consumers’ Rights, stated the Ministry launched an investigation on the local branches as more meat could have been contaminated in this public health crime.
A piece of glove has also been found
According to the Ministry, the worker didn’t completely turn off the meat grinder with his hand inside and lost two fingers. Between 45 and 80 kilograms of meat was being produced.
As such, another finger is still missing.
The Ministry wants to figure out where and how much of the contaminated meat has been distributed to the restaurants. It also mentioned that the worker’s health status would be checked and asked clients to come out if they experienced symptoms or discomfort.
According to the Deputy Minister, “this is not an isolated event, it is part of a problem of selling garbage to consumers. They do not care about quality. Tables and chairs can be very beautiful, but the problem is behind the scenes”.
On September 14, another family revealed having recently found part of a glove in a burger from the same chain. One of the children was hospitalized and the food company covered for the expenses. She reportedly didn’t go to the police as employees promised they would eat for free for a long time.
Sources:
- ¡Increíble! Encontraron un dedo en una hamburguesa, Red Bolivion, September 2021, Free access
- Comunicado, Facebook, September 2021, Free access
- Delito de salud pública: Silva anuncia operativos en 20 sucursales de hamburguesas Hot para determinar si a todas llegó la carne contaminada, Ministerio de justicia y transparencia institucional, September 2021, Free access
