McDonald's order error leaves 'traumatised' vegetarian 'in tears and vomiting'

Vegetarian Charlotte Sunshine said she was left traumatised after being served chicken by mistake. Photo / Twitter

A vegetarian has been left "traumatised" and "vomiting" after a McDonald's order error saw her eat a piece of meat for the first time in her life.

Charlotte Sunshine's boyfriend ordered her a veggie deluxe meal from the fast food giant in Edinburgh on June 8.

But after just one bite she realised it wasn't a veggie pattie - instead she had eaten chicken despite the words "veggie delux" burger written on the cardboard box holder.

Following the realisation the 26-year-old started to vomit and was left in tears.

Sunshine said she recognised a "Quorn-like" taste and frantically Googled her regular meal's ingredients to find it doesn't contain the meat substitute.

The 26-year-old tweeted McDonald's to express her anger, but was not happy with their apology and offer of a full refund.

Her boyfriend made a two-hour round trip to be with her and provide moral support.

Sunshine says McDonald's response makes her feel "undervalued" because her beliefs should be "just as important as religious ones".

Tw vomit //

Had to throw up and I'm petrified of vomiting and I'm in ed recovery so I could not be more triggered rn

— 🏳️‍🌈♿ Charlotte ☀️💜 (@thxcctinkerbell) June 8, 2021

She then claimed she had a stomach ache the next day after taking a bite of a chicken burger.

A couple of days later Sunshine said she was over her illness, but labelled the mistake "dangerous" and speculated she could have been hospitalised with a serious allergy.

"When I knew it was chicken all of a sudden I started to feel really sick within the space of a few minutes. I immediately burst into tears and was physically sick.

"I was really hungry and looking forward to it. I took a bite into it and then when I swallowed I realised this was not what I was expecting to bite into.

"As soon as I realised, I froze and I messaged my boyfriend saying that I'm really panicking. I asked him to check if they'd changed the veggie burger, but when I Googled it I saw they hadn't.

Vegetarian Charlotte Sunshine said she was left traumatised after being served chicken by mistake. Photo / Twitter

"It traumatised me. I actually got Calum to come and pick me up because I didn't want to be on my own and I needed some moral support. He was upset on my behalf too.

"It's dangerous. If you're mislabelling food then it could be something someone's allergic too. I know chicken isn't a common allergy but as I'd never eaten it I could have been severely allergic to it. I could have been hospitalised.

"The idea of eating a dead animal to me is so alien, but that's why I'm not a preachy vegetarian because I'm aware it's so incomparable to what most people experience.

"The lack of reaction from McDonald's has really upset me because It's a really important thing to me. They haven't taken it seriously enough."

McDonald's apologised for the "mistake" and said it "recognises that it is not acceptable to serve meat when a vegetarian product has been ordered".