Sasko has finally responded to a video of a consumer who found a dead rat baked into her bread.
The bakery – which falls under Pioneer Foods – came under fire over the clip, which has gone viral on social media.
SASKO SORRY FOR RAT FOUND IN BREAD
In a statement posted on Friday, 13 September, Sasko apologised profusely to the customer – Nombulelo Mkumla – who had found a rat in her loaf of bread.
It read: “We were shocked and devastated when a KZN consumer informed us that she found a rodent in her loaf of Sasko bread.”
The company revealed that they had launched an investigation into the incident, which included engaging external third-party service providers to thoroughly examine the production facility in question.
It also emphasised that it would “adhere to strict safety protocols,” including the monitoring and inspection of facilities and production batches for compliance with all food safety regulations.
According to investigation findings, the incident was ruled as “isolated, extreme and isolated, yet very unfortunate incident”.
OFFICIAL SASKO STATEMENT
Posted by SASKO on Friday 13 September 2024
Sasko added that the production of bread at the facility in question had been halted, however, until the company was “fully satisfied that there is no risk to our consumers”.
It added: “The health and wellbeing of our consumers is of paramount importance to us.
“We take food safety and quality concerns very seriously and are committed to addressing any such issues that may arise thoroughly.”
‘THESE THINGS ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN’
Sasko’s statement comes days after Nombulelo Mkumla claimed the company had brushed off her gruesome discovery as “mould.”
She posted on Facebook: “Why would I make a fuss over mold? Then…a guy from Sasko called me. ‘Ma’am, I am… from Sasko. I am calling regarding your recent experience with our product. I sincerely apologize for what happened to you. It shouldn’t have happened, but you must understand that it gets hot where we bake our products, so things like this are bound to happen.’”.
Images via Facebook: Nombulelo Mkumla
Nombulelo claimed that the representative added: “Don’t worry; it won’t affect you health-wise.”
She continued: “This apology made me angrier. Instead of saying sorry, they told me to understand that it gets hot where they bake, and that’s why there was a rat in my bread! Are you a professional doctor? I doubt I will ever eat Sasko products again.”
“I recently bought bread from Spar (Sasko bread) on August 27th. The same day, I made toast after work and ate the bread. The following day, after work, I did the same thing. Then, on the morning of August 31st, I took the bread out of the fridge to make toast and noticed something disgusting and scary. I took a picture and sent it to my friends, and one of them said, ‘Yi mpuku leyo tshomi’ (‘That’s a rat friend’). I was in denial and suggested it might be something else, but the rat scenario made sense – it’s possible the rat got into the bread at the factory, and no one noticed.
I went to Spar with the bread, and they advised me to lay a complaint with their supplier directly and gave me the contacts. I sent an email with a video and pictures of the bread to the supplier (Pioneer Foods) on Saturday, August 31st. Someone responded by email, acknowledging receipt of my email on Monday the 2nd of September, and filled out a form stating that the bread had mold. Why would I make a fuss over mold? I responded and gave my description of the complaint.
Then, no one said anything until Friday afternoon, September 7th, when a guy from Sasko called me. ‘Ma’am, I am… from Sasko. I am calling regarding your recent experience with our product. I sincerely apologize for what happened to you. It shouldn’t have happened, but you must understand that it gets hot where we bake our products, so things like this are bound to happen.’ Yes, I admit that your bread had a mouse/rat. We are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again. Don’t worry; it won’t affect you health-wise.
This apology made me angrier. Instead of saying sorry, they told me to understand that it gets hot where they bake, and that’s why there was a rat in my bread! Are you a professional doctor? I doubt I will ever eat Sasko products again. This experience has been traumatic and disgusting!”
Posted by Nombulelo Mkumla on Sunday 8 September 2024
DO YOU BELIEVE SASKO’S APOLOGY IS SINCERE?
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