A viral video of a McDonald's employee shoving fries into her mouth before putting them in a packet for potential customers has sparked outrage.
The disgusting video – taken by an employee in the kitchen of a McDonald's located in Southbridge, Massachusetts – has sparked an investigation by the Southbridge Police Department in coordination with the Board of Health and the franchise owners.
A female employee appears to have recorded herself putting several handfuls of fries into her mouth before saying, 'You want french fries today, right?' as a second female employee can be seen smiling at the camera and laughing.
The video, which was obtained and published by Boston 25 News, was originally posted to a private social media page last week before it spread online, according to the Boston Globe.
On Friday, the Southbridge Police Department released a statement saying, 'Since the video was posted, our department has received numerous calls, online tips, and media inquiries regarding the incident.'
The department added that it is 'working to determine whether the food was ultimately served to a customer and to identify any individual who may have been affected.'
The Spadea and Balducci families, who operate the McDonald's franchise location, told the New York Post that they fired the employees who took the video, though they did not publicly disclose their identities.
'The actions of these individuals are unacceptable and do not reflect our organization’s food safety standards or values,' the franchise owners told the outlet in a statement.
A viral video shows this female McDonald's employee shoving fries into her mouth while saying 'You want french fries today, right?' as another female employee laughs
The video also shows the employee putting the fries into a packet that may have been served to a customer. The disgusting video has stirred outrage online and among locals
'We are proactively working with local authorities and the local health department, who found no public health concerns or violations. The wellbeing and safety of our Southbridge community remains our top priority,' they added.
Locals who saw the video shared their outrage with Boston 25 News.
'That's disgusting. Are you kidding me? It's not sanitary,' one resident named Jim told the outlet.
'I'm done with this McDonald's at least, and I might be done for quite a while with fast food,' he added.
'It's unacceptable,' another local put it simply.
'That's a problem. That's a safety issue,' said a third.
'I think it's crazy that people are messing with other people's food. I thought it was disgusting, honestly,' a fourth said.
It is unclear whether the employees in the video will face criminal charges, but according to Massachusetts law, distributing food contaminated with a foreign substance that could cause injury is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Tampering with food in a way that could cause injury is also a violation of federal law that is punishable by up to five years in prison as well. The employees could only be charged if they indeed served the fries to a customer.
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The video was taken by employees at this McDonald's in Southbridge, Massachusetts. The owners of the franchise location have said that the employees were fired
The Southbridge Police Department said, 'We understand the concern this incident has generated within the community' and asked for patience 'while this investigation is ongoing.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Southbridge Police Department for comment regarding whether the employees in the video will be criminally charged.