Douglas, who is 32 weeks pregnant, says she drove back to the McDonald’s, where a worker told her that somehow two cleaning lines were accidentally left attached to the coffee machine. The label of the cleaner warned users that it was an acid-based cleaning agent that could cause “serious eye irritation” and “an allergic skin reaction.” Dan Brown, the franchisee who owns the McDonald’s location, told Buzzfeed In a statement that he’s deeply sorry for what happened and is working with Douglas to make it right. “What happened is that the machine was being cleaned — as it is every morning. Unfortunately, the milk supply line was connected to the cleaning solution while this guest’s drink was made," he explained. “McDonald’s is renowned for its food safety protocols and I am sorry that this happened in my restaurant here in Lethbridge.” Regardless, what happened to Douglas is horrifying and could have seriously put her and her baby in harm’s way. “This needs to be more than a slap on the wrist,” Douglas told Global News. “We need to take it more seriously when we are dealing with food handling, I mean, to put a lid on something that doesn’t look like a latte, that should be your first indication.” Let’s put the blame where it belongs and stop shaming pregnant women for wanting a latte once in a while.
