'Cold and mushy': Woman surprised by uncooked beef patty in McDonald's burger

One McDonald's customer feared food poisoning after noticing that the beef patty in her burger was uncooked.

In a post to Facebook page Complaint Singapore on Monday (Dec 4), the woman surnamed Chen said that she bought her takeaway meal from the fast food outlet near Punggol Plaza.

She realised something was wrong after taking a few bites of the burger.

"The meat was cold and mushy," Chen said. "I opened up the burger and to my surprise, the meat patty was not cooked. How to eat like that?"

The woman shared that she complained to the restaurant manager and was offered a replacement as well as a full refund.

She added that McDonald's also promised to pay for her medical bills if she came down with food poisoning.

"I have a phobia now," she said.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, McDonald's said that they are sorry about the customer's experience and have reached out directly to her.

"At McDonald's, we're committed to the highest food safety standards, and the well-being of our customers is very important to us," the fast food chain said, adding that they have reinforced to all restaurant teams the importance of adhering to the operational and cooking procedures in place.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) told AsiaOne that they are investigating the matter.

"While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices," they said.

"Food operators should also ensure that their premises are clean and well-maintained.

SFA also encouraged members of the public who come across any potentially errant food operator to report them to the agency via the online feedback form.

Raw food can contain dangerous micro-organisms, which can cause foodborne diseases, according to a food safety article by SFA.

Cross-contamination can occur when the juices from raw meat or seafood get transferred to cooked food.

Food, especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, should be cooked thoroughly at temperatures above 75 degree Celsius, the agency advised.

"Meat that is pink is not thoroughly cooked," they said.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com