"Hamburger with Plastic Wrap Inside"...Famous Franchise "Admits Mistake, Will Strive for Quality Control"

"Manufactured Without Removal of Vinyl Packaging"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently, a hygiene issue arose after plastic was found in a burger from a famous hamburger chain, and the company has acknowledged the fault and apologized.

According to Yonhap News on the 26th, A, a worker in their 20s living in Sejong City, found plastic while eating a burger purchased at a well-known franchise store in Jochiwon-eup. He said he felt a foreign object when he had eaten about half of the burger.

The next morning, A called the store to complain. The store admitted the mistake, saying, "It appears that the plastic packaging of the meat patty used in the burger was not removed during preparation." They also refunded A's burger cost.

A said, "Since I live alone, I often ate burgers, but I don't think I can eat them anymore," adding, "It's a large franchise, but their hygiene management is terrible." He has currently reported the company to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

The company stated, "We sincerely apologize to the customer who experienced inconvenience," and added, "We are currently thoroughly investigating the route through which the foreign object entered and will strive to improve quality control and service operations going forward."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, if a foreign object is found in food, take photos of the food and the foreign object, and store the foreign object carefully in a zipper bag or airtight container for submission to the investigation agency. Afterwards, you can report the incident by calling the company, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (1399), or through their website.

The MFDS issues administrative measures depending on the foreign object found and the degree of negligence, ranging from corrective orders to suspension of manufacturing for 1 week to 2 months and disposal of the product for food manufacturers. For restaurants or bakeries, corrective orders or business suspension for 2 to 20 days are imposed. The responsible person may face imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won.