Fast-food investigation under way

Health authorities are investigating a complaint that a hamburger sold at a Whangarei McDonald's restaurant was crawling with maggots.
McDonald's says its food safety procedures are stringent and they are keen to investigate, but Whangarei 15-year-old Isaac Tansley says he is never eating there again.
Two Northland District Health Board public health officers were investigating the incident at the restaurant yesterday.
Isaac said he ordered a meal at the McDonald's Bank St drive-through on New Year's Day - a Big Mac and a Cheeseburger.
He had eaten the Cheeseburger but didn't start on the Big Mac until he and his mum, Lianne were nearly at their Whangarei Heads home.
"He took the top bun off to take out the gherkin, and then he said, `My God, Mum, look at this'," Mrs Tansley said.
The two said there were allegedly maggots in the mayonnaise or the beef patty. "The whole patty was alive. It was disgusting," Mrs Tansley said.
Isaac said, "I was pretty shocked. And it was gross `cause I'd just eaten the Cheeseburger."
Mrs Tansley had rung McDonald's to complain. "I said what happened and the response was just, `I'm sorry about that. If you bring it in we can give you a refund'. I said, `No, do you think I'm ever eating at McDonald's again?' I just said I wanted it on record that I'd complained."
Mrs Tansley said she reported the incident to the Northland District Health Board this week.
Public health team leader Paul Reid had seen a photo of the maggot-infested burger the Tansleys took as soon as they got home, but was reluctant to comment directly on the incident or on McDonalds' food-handling practices at this stage. "What I will say is that all the big food chains have their own specific food hygiene regulations." While he couldn't confirm if there were maggots without seeing the burger, he said basic food safety came down to the "four Cs - cook, clean, cover, chill".
McDonald's national communications manager Kate Porter said it was unlikely maggots could have hatched in the beef patties, which were cooked from frozen when the customer placed an order. McDonald's had stringent food hygiene practices, including temperature readings taken every hour, and took complaints very seriously. "With regards to the customer not bringing the burger back, we ask they do bring it in because then we can do a full investigation, including lab testing and check all batches of produce."
As Isaac had eaten a Cheeseburger before the Big Mac, the burgers would have been prepared at the same time and the patties would have come from the same pile, Ms Porter said. But she acknowledged that despite the strictest regulations, human error could come into it. "There are times when things happen."
Mrs Tansley and Isaac say they are now wary of all fast food.