(Trinidad Express) A day after The Baking Room bakery found itself under heavy criticism for selling a beef pie teeming with maggots, the establishment was opened as usual for business.
Attorney and former People’s Partnership minister of justice Christlyn Moore, who bought a couple pastry items from the popular Maraval Road bakery on Thursday, found that her beef pie was filled with living maggots. She had bitten into it before deciding to break it apart when she found the crawling creatures.
Disgusted by her experience, Moore took to Facebook to register her horror. The video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
When the Express visited The Baking Room yesterday, management declined to speak with the Express. However, health and safety officials were spotted at the establishment. Attorneys for The Baking Room were also present and confirmed that health inspectors had visited the establishment in keeping with protocol. “The place has not been closed down at all. The inspectorate just came to give advice. An inspection happened and they did not find anything unsanitary,” attorney Kiel Taklalsingh said.
Deeply saddened
The Baking Room yesterday released a public statement via social media saying that all of its pastries are baked fresh daily and it was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the incident involving one of its products.
“We take this matter very seriously and are committed to addressing it with the utmost urgency and transparency,” the bakery said.
The bakery apologised to the customer who experienced the “distressing incident” and was thankful for it being brought to their attention. It added that, “…we immediately launched a thorough investigation.”
It also said it was working closely with its suppliers and staff to identify the source of the contamination to ensure that such an incident never occurs again.
It further said several other steps have also been taken, including removal of all meat pastries and other potentially affected products, enhanced inspections and sanitisation, a review of its supply chain, and additional training for staff on food safety and customer service policies.
It also expressed its thanks to well-wishers and other supporters as they continue to review the matter.
However, the backlash on social media was unrelenting. One customer who bought from the The Baking Room posted its interaction with the business purporting to show that it was not the first time the bakery has sold contaminated pastries.
In the exchange, the bakery also apologised to the customer, thanked them for their understanding and said that they would be in touch.
Christlyn Moore reposted the customer’s post on her Facebook profile, with the comment: “First isolated incident of this nature in our history…”
In a Facebook Live which has garnered thousands of shares and views, Moore said that The Baking Room needs to close. She said it was her first time buying at the bakery and spent about $36 for a beef pie and currants roll. The bakery is located a stone’s throw away from her office.
