Tesco slammed after turkeys 'tasted of acid'

Tesco slammed after turkeys 'tasted of acid'



Tesco could face a food standards inquiry after customers claimed their Christmas Day was ruined by rotten turkeys.



The Food Standards Agency last night pledged to look into complaints from furious Tesco shoppers who said their festive turkeys were 'rancid' and 'tasted like acid'. 



Dozens of families said they were left without a meal to serve and that they had to order emergency takeaways after discovering their Tesco turkeys had gone off.



Some customers abandoned their turkey dinners before even putting the birds in the oven because of the smell.



Others say they didn't notice until they had started digging into their Christmas meal and complained that their turkey tasted like 'bleach' and'acid'.



Angry customers took to Facebook and Twitter on Christmas Day to complain about turkeys, which cost up to £59 in the store's Finest range.



picture of the turkey he bought 'only a few days ago'.



He wrote: 'This was bought only a few days ago and it's out of date. 23 quid wasted now have no Xmas turkey for Xmas day. Any customer services available today??'



One Twitter user, Jase @SappninBitton, was forced to order an emergency Chinese takeaway for his family in Glasgow after he discovered their turkey was rotten.



At almost 8pm on Christmas Day, he wrote: 'We're sitting waiting on a Chinese coming after @Tesco ruined #ChristmasDinner.



'Thank the lord for @JustEatUK. Think this is the first time I've ever spent money on Christmas Day.



'What else you gonna do with eight hungry mouths and a rotten turkey. Think I'll send Tesco the bill.'



He added: 'I've seen a lot of people saying the same. Thankfully I noticed before cooking/eating it. I got refunded for my turkey but the whole meal was ruined.'



Tesco has been inundated with messages from customers regarding their fresh and frozen turkeys and the store apologised to people on social media and offered them a refund.



Alison Kendall, from Essex, said that her Christmas dinner had been 'ruined' and described her 'sheer panic' when she realised it had gone off at 6am yesterday.



She said: 'Thank you Tesco for the Finest Turkey Crown with a sell by date of 26/12 that had gone off by the 25th... ruining our Christmas Dinner.



'Imagine my sheer panic at 6am on Xmas Day, opening the turkey wrap to be hit by that 'gone off' smell with 10 people coming to Xmas Dinner.'



Kirsten Shore, from Stafford, wrote: 'Snap! We had the same problem!



'Our first time hosting and a rotten turkey from @Tesco ruined our day! I'm devastated!



'Thanks @Tesco for selling me a gone off turkey and wrecking my first Christmas day cooked at my home!



'£250 wasted. An awful meal and eight sick people!'



She later added on Facebook: 'I was very excited and worked super hard to make and prepare Christmas dinner for my family for the first time ever but thanks to the Tesco I served them a rotten, racid turkey that was inedible.



'Not only that - the gravy was made from the turkey so that resulted in everyone's meal ending up in the bin. Thanks Tesco!'



Karen Carter tweeted: 'Thanks @Tesco for ruining our Christmas. Disgusting turkey I had delivered on Friday stinking and rotten. Just had to throw away.'



Jordan Shore, from Manchester, wrote: 'Hi @Tesco we cooked a turkey from you today to find that it was totally inedible. Acid type taste is all I can describe.'



Julie Duer added: '@Tesco very disappointed as had the worst Christmas ever.



'Bought your Finest Turkey for Christmas lunch and Christmas morning your turkey was off.



'Ruined the whole day as only get all my family together once every two years. Cheers Tesco.'



Some furious, and hungry, customers also took to Facebook to vent about their ruined meals.



Kelly Greaves from Stoke-on-Trent, wrote: 'Huge shout out to Tesco on selling us a rotten turkey - and judging by your Facebook and Twitter, we are one of many!



'The turkey smelt/tasted like bleach! Sadly with us making the gravy from the juices, and pouring it all over our vegetables and potatoes - the whole table of eight went hungry!



'We literally had NO Christmas dinner except a Christmas pudding.'



Jane Plant from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, contacted Tesco to tell them she had been blaming a strange smell in the house on her husbands feet, only to discover it was yet another rotten turkey.



She said: 'So this evening i went to prepare my turkey like I do every Christmas Eve. The said turkey was purchased from Tesco Uttoxeter on Thursday 21st December.



'I'd actually smelt a funny smell in my house for the last couple of days and actually blamed my husbands feet.



'On opening the turkey I found it was in fact not my husbands feet but the extra large turkey that we were having for Christmas dinner.