California boy bites into his chicken nugget from McDonald’s. Then he hits metal: ‘Go sue McDonald’s’

As a parent, getting your child a McDonald’s chicken nugget meal may feel like one of the safest, most foolproof ways to get food into their belly.

Based on one dad’s video on TikTok, however, parents may want to check their kids’ McDonald’s orders more closely before giving it to them.

In a recent clip, which got over 2.3 million views, Austin (@austin_tanya_and_kids) filmed the nugget in question up close, showing what appeared to be a small metal object inside it.

Dad Says His Son Found Metal In A McDonald’s Chicken Nugget

“So my son was just now eating McDonald’s,” Austin says at the start of the video. “Took a bite out of his chicken nugget.”

He then shows the inside of the nugget, where a small metal-looking object is visible.

“Guys, what is that?” he asks. “What the f— is that?”

Austin says he pulled the object out of the McDonald’s chicken nugget.

“Amazing,” he says.

The object appears to look like a small metal staple or U-shaped wire fastener, possibly a packaging staple or a tiny clip. However, the video alone does not confirm exactly what it is or how it got there.

If it did come from the food itself, it could have ended up in the nugget during production, packaging, transport, or preparation. It is also possible that McDonald’s could dispute when or where the object entered the food, especially if the company investigates the complaint.

In subsequent videos, Austin says he took his son to the ER after the child complained of stomach pains. Thankfully, according to him, the boy is OK and not in any health danger.

Austin also revealed the McDonald’s location where he says this happened: a restaurant in Norco, California. He says he contacted McDonald’s but has not heard anything back yet.

In the comments, he also says he contacted lawyers, but no one seemed eager to help.

Where Can He Report The Issue?

In this case, the complaint would fall under the jurisdiction of California.

The California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch accepts food-product complaints online and by telephone at 1-800-495-3232.

CDPH classifies finding a foreign object in food as a Class II complaint, which it investigates based on the object’s inherent injury risk. For restaurant food, CDPH may coordinate with or refer the matter to the local agency responsible for that McDonald’s.

Because McNuggets are a poultry product, Austin can also submit a foreign-object report through the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Electronic Consumer Complaint Form.

As for why lawyers might not be eager to take the case, the main issue is injury.

Finding a foreign object in food is alarming, and it is absolutely something a customer can report. But a lawsuit usually needs damages. Without a clear injury, medical cost, or other measurable loss, there may not be much of a case. Even with an injury, the company could still challenge exactly where the object came from, even if the situation looks straightforward to the customer.

Comments Are Split

In the comments, some viewers questioned why people still eat at McDonald’s at all.

“Why are we still eating McDonald’s…” one commenter wrote.

Another viewer pushed back on people blaming the parent.

“I love how people in the comments are shaming the parent for feeding their kid instead of shaming the corporation for having a literal staple in their food like ???” they wrote.

Others immediately told Austin to take legal action.

“Go sue McDonald’s omg huge lawsuit,” one commenter wrote.

Another person said the issue may have started before the nugget ever reached that California store.

“As much as I want to blame McDonald’s they get their crap frozen this happened long before it made it to their store so I think they better question is who is there manufacture that they ordered from…. Glad your son is okay,” they wrote.

@austin_tanya_and_kids @McDonald’s ♬ original sound – austin_tanya_and_kids

The Mary Sue has reached out to McDonald’s via email and the family via TikTok messages for comment.

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