A dad was shocked to find he'd been served a sandwich wrapped in mouldy bread from popular global chain Subway.
Chris Allen says claims he will never go back to the branch and he was rudely handled by members of the staff after complaining.
The 47-year-old was getting lunch with his family on Friday, last week when he spotted mould on the bread and stopped short.
He said: "I was really looking forward to it and took a bite.
"When I looked, it was then I saw mould on the bread. I stood there in shock, it's not what you expect from a food chain, especially one that advertises 'eat fresh'."
Chris was with his three-year-old daughter who had ordered a slice of pizza.
“I grabbed the pizza from my daughter's hand. I didn't know if that was mouldy or had something wrong with it," he added.
The Essex branch has since taken action after the incident and is now completing a review of its in-store food quality and safety practices, according to the company's head office.
After the incident, Chris went back to the takeaway chain and explained what had happened to the staff member at the store in Saffron Walden, Essex, England.
He told EssexLive: "The female staff member was not interested in what I was saying or the fact that what she had just served me was mouldy.
"She only wanted to reimburse the sub sandwich and nothing else. I handed everything back and requested a full refund. Eventually, after explaining again that the food was not fit. I got a full refund. I asked how to complain, she stated that she didn't know.
"I asked for the manager's name, to which she repeatedly refused to provide and didn't give a reason. She eventually said that his name was 'Max' and that he was on holiday for a month. I asked if she was going to check the rest of the bread, she refused to do so."
The comments by the staff member had left Chris “shocked and concerned” as, despite showing her the bread, she was still prepared to serve the produce on the counter.
Chris says that this left him wondering whether there were any other issues in the store.
Since the incident, Chris has had no further communication with Subway and says he will never be going there again.
A spokesperson from Subway said: "Subway has been made aware of a guest complaint from a restaurant in Saffron Walden. The franchisee has been alerted and a review of their in-store food quality and safety practices is underway.
"The Food Standards Agency gave this restaurant a five out of five rating in their last inspection in May 2022 and we fully expect our franchisee to uphold these standards."
Since the incident the Essex branch has taken action and is now completing a review of its store food quality and safety practices, according to Subway’s head office.
