MASON CITY – No one knows for sure how, when or why it got there, but fly larvae was discovered on a hamburger purchased at the McDonald’s restaurant on South Federal Avenue in Mason City.
NorthIowaToday.com became aware of this developing situation Monday morning when a photo of a hamburger was sent to our newsroom, along with a video of a customer returning food to the McDonald’s restaurant on South Federal Avenue in Mason City last Thursday, August 20. The photo shows what appears to be foreign matter on a burger. The video shows interaction between a customer with food purchased at that restaurant and management.
The Cerro Gordo County Health Department tells NIT that they became aware of the complaint first through the sheriff’s office at 8 AM Friday morning, August 21. They confirmed that that hamburger was bought on the August 20, through the drive-up window.
The Health Department’s Brian Hanft said today that it is common practice to investigate an incident such as this. Health inspectors arrived at the McDonald’s located at 1920 South Federal Avenue Friday at 1 pm to investigate.
“We go as soon as we can,” Mr. Hanft explained. “It’s our job.”
No violations were found during that inspection. An earlier inspection completed on August 4, 2015 showed one minor violation: a crack in an ice scoop, Mr. Hanft said.
He described the incident this way: The burger was brought to the health department on the morning of the 21st. Mr. Hanft took some photos of the burger. He observed foreign matter on the burger at that time but as he is not an expert on insect larvae, he made a recommendation to send the burger to an entomologist at Iowa State University in Ames. The health department made contact with an expert there, and the customer did take the burger to Ames to have it inspected.
Mr. Hanft said that fly larvae was found on the burger by the entomologist.
“Absolutely that is fly larvae on that burger,” he said. Again, the health department cannot determine where the fly larvae came from or how it got on the burger.
A call to the McDonald’s restaurant was answered by a manager, who was very courteous and helpful. She answered what questions she could before offering to take NIT’s contact information and forward it to McDonald’s corporate media relations. She did confirm that there was an incident last week involving food purchased through the drive through, and that she was not aware of what happened to the food once it left the premises until it was turned in and reported with the foreign matter on it.
According to McDonald’s customer and Hampton resident Billie C. Wentzel, who made the complaint about the food:
“This is the McDouble I bought at Mason City McDonalds located on federal Ave on the 20th I actually bought six of them and five of them got eaten before we noticed the white substance on the burger and the cheese of our burgers and then under the burger also I took this photo and zoomed it afterwards and noticed it looked like some type of larvae so I called my attorney and he told me to take it to the county health department well it has been been identified by the lab and Ames Iowa it is insect eggs and larvae”.
https://youtu.be/qlSIrgAaasI
I found a maggot in my french fry a couple weeks ago. Got pics and kept the fry. Will call McDonalds headquarters about this. Also have conversation saved from many years ago when I found a maggot in my chicken nugget.
Maggots that reside in the vagina are easily transferred to food. Wash your hands before meals and you should see some improvement in this condition.
Looks like a scam to me-get a job people and stop trying to scam for money!!!!
They don’t have a job. They have a business… well…if you call a headshop a business.
Who wants Head from her? Yuck!
Let’s be realistic here, putting contaminants on food for the sole purpose of suing a business is one thing. But to suggest that a business is knowingly keeping rodents/bugs in their business is asinine. Rodents/bugs are always trying to get inside a building, especially when the weather turns cool. So seeing a rodent/bug inside any business/home is nothing new, it’s been going on for ever. Then again there are the disgruntled employees that might be helping this scare, to get even. Any restaurant that serves the sue happy public has an exterminator come in on a regular basis to help take care of any problems. Unfortunately, rodents/bugs are persistent, just like sue happy people, and…
…and those that like to criticize. If you really knew what was in your food, you wouldn’t eat anything.
I smell a snake in the grass here, also this smells a little fishy, and I for one if on a jury would have to tape my mouth shut so they wouldnt see or hear me laughing.
ask the help on the 20th
there was a mouse square dancing inside the doors on thurs 20th it was not planted no one cares? I wont be back
Finally some (real) meat on my burger..
Matt, I am a fan of NIT, and also a subscriber. I feel that every media outlet that fell for this woman’s scam and gave her media time should publicly apologize to the owners, managers, and staff at McDonalds. The family has owned the McDonald’s for along time and this was pure nonsense from someone trying to get rich quick, and wanting attention.
I agree, although I love a good story, I would not have left the story without a conclusion. I would have waited and investigated it. This has done terrible things to this business. Facts should have been checked. History of false reports, criminal activity, the fact she is begging for money on multiple outlets. It took me 30 seconds to figure out who this person was. This ranks up there with the story of Felix Arp being “Falsely arrested” by neglecting to cover the entire story, or the history of his assaults and being uncooperative with police. I get the majority of my North Iowa news here, but seeing this makes me not want to trust what I’m reading.
Getting the word out first,…
And how is that so-called “subscription” working out for you?
This site has been totally free for almost a half a year now.
Getting your money’s worth?
And the site owner has had this side-bar on the home page for months.
“..as we work to install new subscription software. New software will be installed and functional this week.”
Wonder what his definition of “this week” is?
If I was a juror:
It would not matter to me if the contamination was planted or accidental and happened at MD’s. The business did not purposefully make this happen. That would be illogical.
Under no circumstances is this something that should be litigated. It is a waste of the courts time. This is not something that should every be rewarded by awarding money to someone that had something unfortunate happen.
Nobody was harmed! If they had been harmed, then that would be cause for consideration. Under these circumstances, I vote zero compensation!
Just refund their money at the business and move on!
They had two incidents of this prior in Indianola and the Army Post location in Des Moines….totally not a scam
I’d be interested in reading about these two incidents, but after checking with the news papers in both towns, I couldn’t come up with any information. Could you give me specific dates so I can do more research.
In the likey event that this is a scam, these bottom feeding white trash need to be prosecuted and forced to eat cheese burgers infested with fly $hit.
I bet their house it FILT THY as my grandma used to say.
Scam. Multiple pages asking for money, failing businesses! You may be pointing 1 finger at McDonalds but wait, there are 3 pointing back at you. Melted cheese but the larve is right perfectly on top and to the side perfect for you to see, you ordered 6 of the same sandwich? Only noticing after you ate 5 others? The other pictures on your Facebook page showed these little larve sprinkled on the bun and just kind of strategically placed. If cheese comes like I assume it does in a stack and they peel it piece by piece off. It is next to impossible for a fly to get into the middle of a stack of cheese, lay and egg, let larve hatch, and it end up on your sandwich. They go through a lot of…
First of all of you are going to make a video that you want to go viral, take a moment to wash your hair! It’s sad when the McDonalds employee looks great (when she had no idea she was going to be taped that day).
Marquardt is the king of these non-story scams. The Morton Downey Jr. of North Iowa.
Exactly how do the larvae get on the cheese AFTER it’s been melted?? Does this really need to be debated? This is such a pathetic scam it’s embarrassing. Hate to think where they got the larvae from.
not kidding
it was between the doors really onthursday 20th
ask about the mouse
If you have nothing to hide….why did you mysterious go find me page post disappear off your Facebook page!? Nothing but a bunch of lying scumbags trying to get rich off of someone else. How about working hard and earning your money the right way. Not suing someone for something you planted. Got to love low life scum!
Looks like blow to me.
Scam! It landed on a burger that had just been cooked and laid eggs before they wrapped it?
Hmmm.. but their Go Fund Me page and the video asking for money for legal aid has been removed. That’s odd. They were asking for around $50,000 for legal service and for medication.
And it appears that she owns a head shop. It just gets better doesn’t it?
They might not need the $50k if they didn’t eat 6 McDoubles.
Seems that Billie likes to try to get other peoples money.
https://fundly.com/save-weasel-s-den
Weasel, how appropriate
She took the burger home then brought it back the next day? Sorry, not buying it. How does anyone know how clean her house is? Who’s to say she didn’t leave it sitting out all night? And she doesn’t appear to be squeaky clean either, her hair is greasy. Seems like a trying to get rich scheme. Move along there lady, you are not the first person that’s tried to scam a fast food place.
The entomologist should be able to tell the cycle of the eggs. He/she could confirm if the eggs were actually there on/before the Thursday the burger was purchased.
sounds like they have a very poor pest control company
PEOPLE I would Not put a lot of faith in anything NorthIowaToday reports. Like the stupid story they had about a jailer having sex with an inmate. There are cameras everywhere. Next they will report that aliens land their ship in Central Park in Mason City and people will believe it, Come on!
We stand by all our reporting. If you want to dispute something, let’s hear what it is, specifically, and we can have the debate. Otherwise, your words are hollow.
He did have sex with a inmate that’s why he got fired you nit wit.
Have it your way at Burger King! No fly larve unless specifically requested by or consumers. But everyone at Mickey D’s gets the “secret sauce”.
Uhhhh except the majority of burger kings employees are criminals. Thieves, sex offenders, drug addicts. I haven’t checked their current employee roster, but I stopped going there 2 years ago when I went to pay for my food and saw I was handing my credit card to someone with 1st degree theft charges, burglary and fraud/forgery. No thanks!
This is also why I do not go to KFC or taco bell.
Don’t MD cook the burgers before they sell them. If they do, the larvae wouldn’t be white. This is definitely a get rich quick scam. I hope MD wins and exposes these scam artists for what they are. Good point @ Anonymous 2:38 pm.
everybody goes to McDonalds with a knife, plastic bag, and their lawyers phone number. Nothing fishy here?
If so, why bitch, at least you got some meat in your burger?
I’ve heard many stories like this about that restaurant. I believe it just look at the picture. Don’t look planted there to me
Billie?? Are you trying to anonymously garner support??
The crazy thing is just a few weeks ago this guy created a Go Fund Me page asking for money for medical bills. This account has been deleted now. I think McDonalds is an easy target. He had this well thought out. The first thing he did was call his attorney. Come on really?! This story is sketchy in so many ways!
Purchased in the drive through, 6 of the same sandwich, and not returned until the next day. #freemoney
I agree, seems kind of fishy. There’s always someone trying to sue somebody. Why did she eat the first five and then complain?