As Stephanie Weston, who lives in Ripley, discovered when she recently had a scary encounter. She’s just finishing a call to order dinner from the popular takeaway chain Guzman y Gomez. For her first meal, we ordered a chicken burrito and the beef mince burrito bowl. What began as an average meal soon turned into a horrifying experience when her partner discovered a button battery buried beneath the burrito bowl.
The pair popped through the Guzman y Gomez drive-through aerial for a quick lunch. This beloved food institution is well-known for its mouth-watering Tex-Mex cuisine and has locations all over Australia. Weston found a battery that had originated in a thermometer. When she saw that alfalfa in her salad, she panicked, imagining the terrible health risks of including it in her dish.
Panic and Health Risks
When Stephanie Weston found the button battery, both she and her partner went into a state of instant panic. “I felt panicked and was unable to sleep after discovering the button battery,” she stated. The corroded condition of the battery further alarmed them. Weston mentioned, “It was quite corroded, so we were worried it had been leaking.”
KidSafe Qld president Dr. Ruth Barker has been unequivocal in condemning this worrying incident. And she shed light on the dangers of button batteries, most notably choking. Each week, nearly 20 young children make emergency department visits for suspected ingestion or insertion of these batteries. Parents and caregivers are rightfully alarmed by the severe chemical burns these batteries have been known to inflict. They’re equally concerned about before the first life-threatening injury occurs.
It was fortunate that the battery showed up in the burrito bowl, Dr. Barker noted. That new visibility served to make it ten times cooler and more noticeable! “These little batteries usually come in stacks of two or three, and I would be wondering where the other batteries are,” she remarked while discussing the potential for additional hazards.
Guzman y Gomez Response
After the scary finding, Guzman y Gomez backtracked on Stephanie Weston’s criticism. In addition to a refund, the company attempted to make amends by giving her two vouchers for future purchases. A spokesperson for Guzman y Gomez commented on the incident, stating, “This is an isolated incident. There is no alert or recall that is required on this matter.” They emphasized their commitment to food safety, declaring, “Food safety is our absolute priority at GYG, and we take incidents of this nature extremely seriously.”
As part of an effort to ensure things like this don’t happen again, Guzman y Gomez has wasted no time in taking decisive action. The spokesperson mentioned that they have “undertaken urgent actions to ensure that this does not happen again,” which includes replacing the model of thermometer involved, providing training for staff, and implementing additional checks across all their restaurants.
Ongoing Concerns and Recommendations
Dr. Barker hasn’t taken Guzman y Gomez’s word alone. She has welcomed Fair Trading intervention to address possible health and safety risks in food preparation practices. “I will be speaking with my colleagues at Fair Trading to discuss that matter,” she noted.
Weston told USA Today that the way the restaurant served the situation was disappointing. And she shared that she and their country partner didn’t get much specific feedback about the actual thermometer. They further needed advice on what to do next after finding the battery. “They didn’t get his name or anything, no details, and didn’t tell us to go to the hospital,” she explained.
Dr. Barker encourages anyone who thinks they’ve been exposed to button batteries to flag down help right away. “The first point of call is to ring the Poisons Information number. You’ll get 24/7 expert advice about what to do,” she recommended.
