Baby Food Product Complaint

JoCooke1

Good evening,

I am looking for advice on a product complaint/consumer advice issue.

I recently found a live maggot in a baby porridge product from a leading baby food manufacturer. I complained immediately to said company whom sent a courier to collect item for inspection/investigation. The company came back to me shortly after to say they apologise for this issue, they meet all requirements for food production but cannot guarantee this will not happen again.

I contacted Trading Standards about the issue whom advised me to contact my local council food safety team. I did this, and they did not would not take any further action. I recontacted Trading Standards however because my 'civil rights' have been met (they offered to exchange or refund product cost) there is no further advice or support for me as to how to pursue this.

It appears non of the parties are interested to ensure this company is producing safe products. The company has since sent me a £50 voucher, however as a mum of a very young baby I feel quite passionately about this - if this were to happen again and a young baby ingest this I do not know what effect this would have. If I had prepared this product as the packaging stated my baby would have ingested this.

Does anyone have any advice as to if there are any further bodies I can contact?

Thank you!

waamo

Perhaps the Food Standards Agency?

davidmcn

JoCooke1 wrote: »

if this were to happen again and a young baby ingest this I do not know what effect this would have.

I suspect the answer that that is "none at all", if that saves you time researching it.

POPPYOSCAR

Go on.....

Name the company.

POPPYOSCAR

https://www.food.gov.uk/contact/consumers/report-problem/report-a-problem-with-a-food-product

I presume you have already done this?

Hermione_Granger

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

Go on.....

Name the company.

And don't forget to say how much compo you really want.

You've complained to the manufacturer who have carried out their own investigation:

You've contacted Trading Standards:

You've contacted your local council food safety department then:

You contacted Trading Standards again.

Finding livestock in any food isn't ideal but unless you are willing to pay for every single item of food to be hand prepared and inspected, there are always going to be occasional problems and provided this is a very infrequent occurrence and is something that doesn't lead to sickness, Trading Standards and food hygiene departments are not going to be interested.

Aylesbury_Duck

davidmcn wrote: »

I suspect the answer that that is "none at all", if that saves you time researching it.

I agree. Even an infant's stomach acid would kill a maggot in pretty short order.

You've contacted all the relevant authorities. Whilst what you discovered is not acceptable, I don't see what more you can do unless you're after publicity and more compensation. If that's the case, prepare your saddest face and pointiest finger and call the Daily Mail. The current fashion in stories like this is also to dress glamourously and paint on ridiculous eyebrows.

baza52

life of a maggot is 6-8 days. At least you were buying fresh baby food

LadyDee

The best advice if you really are as concerned as you say, is to prepare your baby's food yourself. My child and millions of others have not only survived but thrived on home prepared food, my generation and those before didn't even know what shop bought baby food was.

The next best bit of advice? Buy your child some Premium Bonds with the fifty quid and move on.

pmduk

baza52 wrote: »

life of a maggot is 6-8 days. At least you were buying fresh baby food

It almost certainly means it was introduced since the food left the factory, well done on the payout.

Mojisola

JoCooke1 wrote: »

I recently found a live maggot in a baby porridge product from a leading baby food manufacturer.

A maggot wouldn't survive the cooking process so it was obviously introduced not long before you served the porridge up.

Was it in a jar? Did you check the seal on the jar before opening it?