Manchester United have been blasted for serving raw chicken to guests, which was “unfit for human consumption”.
The Red Devils have been found guilty of feeding 30 guests raw chicken thighs during the ‘SHE’ event on November 21, 2023, at Old Trafford, when they hosted the North West Safety Health Environment Show, according to the Manchester Evening News. Due to the inspectors’ severe handling of the situation, the football team’s food hygiene rating fell from five to one.
Just three trays, each containing roughly 15 pieces of chicken, underwent adequate inspections, even though about 300 pieces of chicken were prepared for the occasion. As a result, before serving, the temperature on 17 trays with roughly 255 pieces of chicken did not reach the required level of warmth. When eight guests first brought up the problem with the personnel, they were met with silence. Thirty more people from the “VIP” and “non-VIP” regions subsequently reported the same problem.
Three days later, food hygiene inspectors were called to the club in response to complaints, and the Food Standards Agency subsequently declared that the establishment needed to make “major improvements.”
“This puts persons eating the food at risk of consuming campylobacter and/or salmonella as the food has not undergone a thorough cooking process and is therefore unfit for human consumption,” the report titled “Food Hygiene and/or Food Standards Intervention” stated. Before serving meals to consumers, you have to make sure it is cooked all the way through.”
Notwithstanding these reservations, the authorities gave the structure and its amenities a “good” rating for cleanliness and condition.
United, however, asserts that it was a “single incident” and guarantees that the carelessness has been corrected. “Manchester United has one of the largest and most experienced food and beverage businesses in world sport,” a club representative stated. “Over 300 external events are successfully delivered each year, and over 250,000 visitors dine at the stadium restaurants.
Over 8,000 fans enjoy the catering on matchdays, which is provided by 28 kitchens spread throughout the stadium. The team is proud of its excellent standards and 5-star food hygiene record, which it has held for the last eight years. Since this was a single incidence, the cause of the failure has been found and fixed. We all want to get back to our 5-star food hygiene rating as soon as possible at the club. We are carrying out an impartial food audit to support that goal and find any further areas that could use improvement.”
December was a harsh month for United, as they lost their Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Newcastle, and Bournemouth. They lost against Bayern Munich at home and were eliminated from the Champions League as well. After defeating Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the FA Cup to open the new year, United was held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham in their most recent Premier League match. They will play their next game, an FA Cup fourth-round meeting against Newport Country, on January 28 after taking a brief break.