McDonald's worker says he was fired after posting photos of 'disgusting' ice cream machine

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July 27, 2017 2:52 PM

The photos show a moldy-looking substance caked onto a stainless steel tray.

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A teenage McDonald's worker says he was fired after posting photos of "disgusting" conditions at the restaurant where he works.

The worker, named Nick, shared photos on Twitter of a tray from the LaPlace, Louisiana store's ice cream machine that was caked in a moldy-looking substance, and the photos went viral with more than 30,000 retweets and "likes."

"I shared it because I wanted to let people know what they’re consuming, and how disgusting the conditions are," Nick, who asked that his last name remain private, told BuzzFeed News.

A few days later he posted more photos that he said were taken inside the restaurant, which included shots of frozen McDonald's food.

Last week, Nick was fired from the restaurant, he told Buzzfeed.

"They banned me from that McDonald's," he said, adding that the restaurant's managers asked him to delete the tweets.

In an e-mailed statement to Business Insider, the owner of the LaPlace McDonald's said the restaurant has a long history of passing regular health department inspections.

"Our primary goal is to operate a clean and safe restaurant," the owner, said. "We regularly conduct in-person and online employee training sessions as well as internal inspections to ensure crew members are following safe food practices."

A spokeswoman for McDonald's added that the tray is designed to catch equipment leaks and doesn't come into contact with the ice cream served.

McDonald's China has also responded to the photos.

The company's China division posted a statement to its website yesterday reassuring customers that its ice cream machines are clean.

"We're paying attention to the information being reposted today online about US ice cream machines," McDonald's China said. "In China, ice cream machines used at McDonald's restaurants are automatically disinfected every day at a set time to ensure food safety."

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