A panicking dad had to check inside his two-year-old daughter's mouth to make sure after she hadn't swallowed mystery tablets after finding them in her KFC meal.
Peter Graham, 31, took his daughter Eva to Southport 's KFC , on Eastbank Street at around 3pm on Sunday, March 24 as a treat.
But a normal father and daughter trip out turned into a nightmare when he spotted five small white tablets mixed in with Eva' popcorn chicken and chips.
Peter immediately took the meal away and put his hands down his daughter’s throat as he did not know whether she had swallowed any.
Peter Graham said: “As soon as I saw it I took my daughter and put my fingers in her mouth. It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.
“It frightened me, it frightened the life out of me. I had to do it as quick and as nice as possible.
"It could have been anything"
“She opened her mouth for me when I asked but she didn’t like me putting my hands in her mouth.”
Peter then took the bag to the counter and asked staff for an explanation.
He had already made a complaint about his meal containing mayonnaise, despite explaining he was lactose intolerant.
Peter Graham said: "The attitude from the man behind the counter was absolutely disgusting.
"He was told by the manager to go in the back.
“I just don’t want this to happen to other children, especially anyone with allergies.
“It could’ve been anything.”
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Burst into tears
Peter said that staff then began crushing the tablets in front of him, saying they were checking if they were sweeteners.
Desperate for answers, Peter even put one of the tablets in his own mouth to be sure and said it made the roof of his mouth go numb.
He said: “I just didn’t think. I just wanted my daughter to be safe.”
He was given refund for his food and a reference number for complaints, but was reduced to tears when he left.
Peter said: “If any parent were to see that, a tablet in their children’s food, they’d be jumping. I burst into tears.
“I’m not a crier, but I burst into tears.”
"Every bag and box should be checked"
Peter received a phone call from the manager of the branch later that evening.
Peter Graham said: “He said I’m really really sorry sir and there’s going to be an investigation into this.”
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The following day, Peter also spoke to another manager who deals with KFCs in the area.
Peter said: “I might have come across very angry, but I was very upset about the situation.
“I said your KFC should be shut down, even for a day and every bag and box should be checked.”
"I just want the truth"
Peter Graham said: “I’m a big big fan of KFC, I eat a hell of a lot of it.
“I’ll never step foot in there ever again.
“Not after the way I’ve been spoken to by the staff or the manager who sorts out that area.”
He added: “I don’t want to get anybody out of a job or get anybody in trouble, I just want the truth.
“What they were and why they were there.”
Peter kept one of the tablets found in the meal as evidence and is hoping for it to be tested.
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"Hands up"
A KFC spokesperson said: “Hands up – this isn’t on and we’re really sorry for Peter’s daughter’s experience.
"We always want our fans to have the best experience possible in our restaurants which is why we immediately offered him another meal.
"We’ve also been looking into this with the restaurant team so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
