ALDI shoppers have accused the supermarket of “ruining” Christmas after its “turkey in a bags” melted in the oven.
The fresh turkey crowns cost customers up to £36 but many were left unable to eat them after the plastic became stuck to the meat during the cooking process.
The instructions on the packet said to “leave the crown in its tray and ovenproof bag” and to cook it at 160C in an electric fan oven.
Despite insisting that they followed the instructions, allowing for 20minutes per kg plus 70 minutes, furious shoppers posted photos of their ruined main courses on Christmas day.
Many of the turkeys were covered in a thin layer of melted plastic, which in some cases had also dripped down and stuck to the baking tray that the meat was being cooked in.
Some cooks were able to remove most of the plastic from the bird but others said they were forced to bin the meat altogether.
One person wrote: “When is an ovenproof bag not an ovenproof bag? When it’s from Aldi and has £36 of Turkey Crown in it!! It melts instead!! Not impressed
@AldiUK!!”
Another replied: “Absolutely the same problem here. Turkey and tray covered in melted plastic!”
Another customer claimed that she had alerted Aldi to the problem on December 23 and expected the supermarket to issue a warning to others.
To overcome the issue, she removed the skin, bacon and plastic before tucking into their meal.
She wrote: “I want[ed] guaranteed assurance there are absolutely no health issues regarding the melted plastic, having eaten the meant.
I want guaranteed assurance there are absolutely no health issues regarding the melted plastic, having eaten the meat. @AldiUK offered me £15 good will voucher! Really?
I feel they should have taken my phone call/subsequent emails more seriously. Roasting bags shouldn’t melt.— Jane Alexandra (@JaneAlexandraSA) December 26, 2019
“Aldi offered me a £15 goodwill voucher. Really?”
The free range bronze turkey crowns were sold as part of the discounter’s premium range, Specially Selected, at £16 per kilo.
It’s the latest disaster to strike the supermarket over the festive season, with many claiming that their “rotten” turkeys had “gone off” days before Christmas.
At least a dozen people complained about the melted plastic bags, although Aldi points out that it sold more than 100,000 in the build up to December 25.
An spokesperson told The Sun: “We are investigating how this could have happened and are happy to provide a full refund to customers who have purchased an Aldi product that they are not totally satisfied with.
“This product should always be used and cooked in line with the instructions on the packaging.”
Aldi was one of the few retailers this year that stayed shut on Boxing Day – to give staff a proper break over Christmas.
Home Bargains also confirmed in November that it would be staying closed to give its 22,000 staff an extra day off.
But it didn’t stop bargain hunters queuing from 5am to get first in line for discounts at other stores, with shoppers expected to spend over £4billion on Boxing Day alone.
