Mum claims her son GOT SICK from shaved deli ham bought from Woolworths – “My poor baby was in a pain he had never had before.”

There’s probably nothing more frustrating than spending your hard-earned money on groceries to find out that not only is it what you’ve purchased is way beneath your expectations, but that it could also put you and your family in harm's way.

Brisbane shopper Jeanette claimed that her 11-year-old son fell ill shortly after consuming slices of shaved ham from Woolworths. The mum said she also threw up after taking a bite of the ham, leading her to the conclusion that the processed meat was what caused the illness.

On a Sunday back in the 27th of February, Jeanette was casually doing a grocery run when she spotted the triple smoked shaved ham while the staff were still stocking up the deli section. She checked out her items and went straight home from the supermarket to refrigerate the ham.

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Snapshots of the triple smoked shaved ham. Image Credit: 7NEWS

“That same Sunday afternoon, my son made himself a big sandwich with the ham. Afterwards, my poor baby was in a pain he had never had before.” she said. “When I tasted it on Monday at lunchtime, it tasted funny and I vomited straight away which made me look at it.”

In a Facebook post, the concerned mum said she was even more disturbed after inspecting the suspicious ham.

“Didn’t think I’d need to inspect it as it was only bought yesterday and put straight into the fridge. On close inspection, the ham was grey, you can see the grey part in the photo.” she wrote.

The mum has since figured out that grey spots on ham slices aren’t a good sign, and strongly believes this led to her and her son getting sick. She alerted other shoppers to look out for a similar discolouration in deli products before purchasing.


“My poor baby makes me want to go down there and make the manager eat it and see how he feels.”

In an interview with 7NEWS, Jeanette explained that she found ‘grey spots’ on the ham and that it ‘smelled funny’, which led her to reach out to Woolworths about the matter.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, grey spots in ham may be a result of oxidisation, which means ‘chemical breakdown and microbial spoilage of the product’.

“With spoilage, there can be a change in colour—often a fading or darkening. In addition to the colour change, the meat or poultry will have an off odour, be sticky or tacky to the touch, or it may be slimy. If the meat has developed these characteristics, it should not be used.” they stated.

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Jeanette with her son. Image Credit: 7NEWS

Jeanette rushed her son to be assessed by a doctor, who subsequently signed the poor boy off school for a week to recover from the havoc.

“I threw the ham in the bin after the pics because I thought no one would care, even if I took it back [to the store].” she added.

“My son is 11 years old. He woke up on Tuesday and the first thing he said when I asked if he was ok was ‘Thank you for supporting me yesterday’. Poor little dude… I have a photo of him laying on my bed in a ball of pain begging me to make it stop, but what can I do other than not buy it again?”

A spokesperson for Woolworths responded to the situation and claimed it was an isolated incident.

“We take food quality and safety very seriously and we’re disappointed to see this customer’s report.” the spokesperson told 7NEWS. “We have since resolved this with the customer and provided a full refund. We have received no other customer reports at this time and have asked our supply partner to look into this further.”

Woolworths advises their customers who have concerns about the quality of their product to return it to their store immediately for a full refund or replacement.

Want to learn what happens to our bodies when we eat rotten food? Watch the video below!



Credit: Life Noggin
 
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I can really sympathise reading this about the bad ham. Recently went in and bought a microwave macaroni and cheese from their cold section. Put in microwave and cooked it, and peeled back the film to find the macaroni dish had gone a strange colour and smelled 'off' as well. Like her I didn't take it back putting it in the fridge meaning to, and now wish I had taken it back and complained. This hadn't happened before, so I suspect Woolworths in Australia is letting their health standards slip. Shame on them for putting people's health at risk.
 
I wouldn't have eaten it looking like that and would have rung the store and complained right away.
 
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It appears that that ham was reduced from $23 KG down to $20 KG ( indicated in the picture). If it was at the end of its "shelf life" (or sell by date) the staff should have told her it must be consumed within 24 hours.

(I too, bought some of this ham from a different WW outlet, and had no problems with it)

The woman doesn't say if she had something hot or warm (eg Hot chicken) next to it in the trolley!! the warmth may have helped the bacteria "grow" quickly !!

Was it a hot day outside? Did she keep it at 1 - 5 degrees C, until she got home ( it states this on the price sticker)? Did she go straight home, or not get there for some time?

All factors contributing to "off" products.

In any case, always rewrap the product, phone the store and explain situation, and return product to the store to enable them to conduct "quality check".

Your Welcome
 
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