MCDONALD’S bosses in a Norfolk branch were buying bags of hash browns for £1.50 from Co-Op and selling them for 89p a serving.
A former employee revealed that they were also forced to prepare food in their own homes, breaking hygiene standards.
Managers at the fast-food giant’s outlet in Wroxham allegedly text their team with bizarre demands, including stocking up on ingredients from local stores.
Screengrabs and photos obtained by the Eastern Daily Press showed conversations on Whatsapp groups between staff members.
The whistleblower, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “What was really worrying me was the fact that we were advertising food being safe for people with nut allergies.
“But food was being prepared in homes where people ate nuts and obviously these kitchens didn’t have the same hygiene levels.
What was really worrying me was the fact that we were advertising food being safe for people with nut allergies.
“I watched a documentary about the girl who had a really serious nut allergy and died. I just could’t bear to be involved in it anymore so I handed in my notice.”
The person said “practically all” of the ingredients needed for the restaurant were bought from local shops at some point.
“The problem was you could only bulk order items. Coleslaw, for example, would come in packs of ten boxes even though we only needed three. We ended up wasting loads.”
So to avoid one of the staff members driving to another McDonald’s restaurant to give the surplus stock to them, the manager would tell them to buy less from local shops.
McDonald’s have described it as an “entirely isolated case” and stressed that the practice has stopped.
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “We can confirm that a non-approved supplier was used on a very small number of occasions over a short period at the Wroxham restaurant.
“This is absolutely not acceptable, and as soon as senior restaurant management became aware, the practice was halted and appropriate action was taken.
“While this was an entirely isolated case, we were very disappointed, and this was made clear to the employees responsible.
“We work only with select, approved suppliers to guarantee the quality, consistency and integrity of the food we serve.”
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