If you love Domino’s Pizza, you’re probably also a fan of the oregano seasoning. And if you’re really a fan, you might save up the unopened oregano packets to sprinkle on other food.
But for a Delhi resident, a pizza night turned into a nightmare when he realised that he and his friend might have eaten live insects along with the oregano!
In a Facebook post, Rahul Arora alleged that all the sachets of oregano seasoning they received with their September 8, Friday night order had insects in them. And to their horror, they did not discover this until Saturday, when they opened the rest of the packets to sprinkle the oregano on bread.
In the accompanying video, the oregano packet is opened and its components emptied onto a steel plate. While everything seems fine for a moment, but on a closer look, you can see at least three small insects crawling away from the seasoning.
“We were shocked. We opened all the sachets they delivered and found these in every single one of them,” Rahul wrote. “Don't know how many of these we actually ate! Feel outraged,” he added.
He also gives details of the order and which Domino’s outlet it was dispatched from. Watch the video here:
“They were fit to eat and carried FSSAI accreditation! Now, who is responsible - FSSAI, Domino's, Jubilant, Dry Blend Foods, the outlet? Where does the buck stop? Someone needs to answer,” Rahul concluded in his Facebook post.
It appears that Rahul received a call from a Domino’s representative after his Facebook post was shared widely on social media. On Tuesday, he wrote another Facebook post, saying claiming the executive merely apologised and offered them a repeat of the order.
“We are not complaining about a late home delivery. This is insects served to us in your food that we are talking about. We have fallen ill after eating it! Please don't trivialise the issue,” Rahul wrote.
This also affected Jubilant Foodworks’ (the company that operates Domino’s Pizza in India) market performance after Deutsche Bank raised concerns about insects being found in oregano sachets.
Moneycontrol reported that at 14:36 hrs on Wednesday, Jubilant Foodworks was quoting at Rs 1,362.45, down Rs 62.75, or 4.40 percent, on the BSE. It touched an intraday high of Rs 1,422.70 and an intraday low of Rs 1,337.35.
Jubilant Foodworks issued a statement on Thursday regarding Rahul's complaint. It is reproduced in full here:
"This is with respect to a Consumer Complaint received on 11th September 2017 regarding oregano sachets, supplied by one of our vendors, in an outlet in Gurugram. The Company has since carried out a comprehensive inspection across vendors & stores and would like to reassure that all our food ingredients are safe for consumption and we have not received any other complaint of this nature.
Jubilant FoodWorks maintains stringent hygiene and quality standards for its products. All the vendors and manufacturing units are FSMS (food safety management systems) certified. We also have Hazard & Critical Control Points (HACCP) certified (globally accepted standard for quality certification) commissaries where we follow strict quality standards and have a regular Audit process of all ingredients used.
Jubilant FoodWorks values its consumers experience and would like to reassure all its Consumers about best quality products, service and a great Domino’s experience at all times."
(This story has been updated.)