Mumbai: The next time you order food online and it arrives, it would be wise to carefully inspect your order before digging into it hungrily. Who knows, you might just literally dig out the proverbial mole from the mound of food. If you forget to check the food, you might just need loads of 'pot luck' to stomach the contents and regurgitate the tale. Ask a 35-year-old lawyer from Prayagraj, Rajeev Shukla all about it.
Shukla was visiting Mumbai and on January 8, placed an online order for a Classic Veg Meal Box Regular with Barbeque Nation in Worli. Little did he realise that he would get unsolicited 'extra protein' additions in his order. When the food arrived, Shukla started to eat. Barely had he tasted the Dal Makhani when he noticed a dead rat and cockroaches in it. Shortly after, he developed gastric trouble and had to rush to the civicrun B Y L Nair Hospital.
"I wanted to explore Mumbai and so I did, coming all the way from Prayagraj but possibly, this might be my last trip. I am a Brahmin and a pure vegetarian, but when my Barbeque Nation order arrived, it gave me the shock of my life. The food contained a dead rat and cockroaches. I suffered food poisoning and got admitted to Nair hospital," he said.
Further, Shukla said that he immediately emailed Barbeque Nation, complaining about their adulterated food. Received food with rat and insect and, unfortunately, I consumed its major portion.
This is just not done since I am a vegetarian, also this is intolerable and I feel like puking; vomited already and it's continuously running in my head and giving me nausea. Food business is (intended) to keep us alive and not to kill us, Shukla wrote, sharing an image of the rat floating in the dal.
Shukla Received Lackadaisical Response
According to Shukla, while he did receive a response from the manager of Barbeque Nation, no one from the establishment came to meet him when he was in hospital and he was forced to fork out the cost for his treatment.
"Dear Guest, We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced and appreciate you taking the time to bring it to our attention. I would like to assure you that your concerns are of the utmost importance to us. Mr Paresh from our Regional Team is already in touch with you to understand the details of the situation and work towards a resolution. Please be assured that we are committed to addressing your concerns promptly and effectively. Our team is actively working on finding a resolution that meets your expectations. Regards," was the reply from 'Manoj CRS Team, Barbeque Nation,' when Shukla emailed them.
Six days later, a First Information Report was filed against the owner, manager and chef of Barbeque Nation by Shukla at Nagpada Police Station. Officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were unavailable for comment.
Past Incident Reported In Mumbai
In August 2023, a similar incident was reported when a bank executive, Anurag Singh, found a rat in the fare he was served at Papa Pancho Da Dhaba in Bandra, following which the FDA swung into action against all food joints and outlets found violating food safety norms.
