Food standards agency monitoring Basingstoke McDonald's

Nicola Sims, 31, from Buckskin, said her eight-year-old son Josh found two hairs in separate chicken nuggets while eating a nine-piece meal she had bought at the Basingstoke Marketplace McDonald’s in the Top of Town on Saturday, June 20.

After telling management, she was told it was ‘impossible’ because ‘all the staff are wearing hairnets.’

She reported the incident to McDonald’s head office and was given two free meal vouchers, and when she visited the store on Sunday 21, she noticed a worker cooking while not wearing a hat or hairnet.

Nicola and Josh (Image: Newsquest)

She reported the incident to the Food Standards Agency, which has said it visited the store and all staff were wearing hairnets.

A spokesperson for the council said: "The council was informed that a McDonald’s customer had found a hair in their food and, as a result, environmental health officers visited the restaurant on Friday 26 June.

"Staff preparing food were found to be complying with the company policy of wearing hairnets during the visit.

"The council will continue to monitor the situation."

McDonald's hairnet policy states that ‘hats should be worn by all food handlers.’

Nicola also told The Gazette that staff initially dismissed her concerns and refused to log a complaint without physical evidence of the hairs.

The employee with no hat or hairnet (Image: Nicola Sims)

She said her son, who is autistic, was left distressed by the incident, adding that it affected him for the rest of the day.

As previously reported, a McDonald's spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear about this customer’s experience.

"Food safety is of the utmost importance to us and we place great emphasis on quality control, following rigorous standards to avoid any imperfections.

"We will also remind the team of the correct hygiene procedures when working in the kitchen.

"We understand this individual has been in touch with our Customer Services team.”