A Guzman y Gomez customer was left in a state of ‘panic’ after discovering a small button battery in her burrito bowl.
Queenslander Stephanie Weston, 36, was halfway through the beef mince burrito bowl she picked up from the GYG Ripley store in Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane, when she found the battery on Friday.
She and her partner immediately called the Poisons Information Hotline, who advised them to go to hospital if they couldn’t find where the battery came from.
‘It was quite corroded [the battery], so we were worried it had been leaking,’ Ms Weston told the ABC.
Button batteries can cause chemical burns and, in serious cases, life-threatening injuries if ingested.
While Ms Weston stayed home, her partner returned to the GYG store where an assistant manager reportedly admitted the battery had fallen from a thermometer.
They did not offer to let the husband see the thermometer or advise if other batteries had been found.
Instead, the worker offered a refund and two burrito vouchers as compensation.
A Queensland Guzman y Gomez found a button battery (pictured) in her burrito bowl
‘They didn’t get his name or anything, no details, and didn’t tell us to go to the hospital,’ Ms Weston said.
A GYG spokesperson confirmed the company had been in contact with the ‘guest who was involved’.
‘GYG immediately initiated a full investigation into this matter and confirmed that the object came from a food-grade thermometer,’ they said.
‘We have undertaken urgent actions to ensure that this does not happen again, which includes the replacement of this model of thermometer, training of crew and additional checks of our equipment across all our restaurants.
‘Food safety is our absolute priority at GYG, and we take incidents of this nature extremely seriously.’
The company did not issue an alert to customers as the discovery of the battery was an isolated incident.
The Director of the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit, Dr Ruth Barker, explained the button batteries are typically installed in ‘stacks’, leading to questions on where the remaining batteries from the thermometer fell.
Those who find a battery in their food are urged to call the Poisons Information Hotline on 13 11 26. The phone service offers expert advice 24/7.
Stephanie Weston found the battery in her meal from the GYG store in Ripley, Ipswich
Small batteries are particularly dangerous for small children.
‘If there’s any suspicion a button battery has been ingested or inserted, or if a small child has put one up their nose, or if a button battery is missing and you have small children, they will direct you to a facility that can do an urgent X-ray,’ Dr Barker said.
Symptoms of battery ingestion may not be obvious and typically involve pain or irritability, unexplained food refusal, vomiting, drooling, or chest and stomach aches.
