Eastern Green gran’s pill-in-milk shock

A Coventry gran has received a measly £3 apology after a mystery pill sparked a family health scare.



The red and white capsule shot out a two-litre bottle of milk as Joyce Williams, of Eastern Green, poured it to make porridge one morning.

It baffled the 65-year-old gran who did not know what the tablet was or how it managed to get there.

But concerns were raised when Joyce, husband David and 15-month-old granddaughter Lydia, who all had milk from the bottle, soon fell ill with stomach bugs.

It was a particular worry for Joyce, a school playgroup leader, who is allergic to penicillin and worried she would suffer a severe reaction to the unknown medication.

Demanding answers, she made formal complaints to the milk’s producer Muller Wiseman Dairies and the Sutherland Avenue Co-op where she bought the bottle of low fat milk on January 14.

Both confirmed in writing they were investigating and Muller Wiseman Dairies took the bottle and pill for analysis.



A subsequent letter from the dairy gave news of results. The pill was a paracetamol tablet.

But the company was unable to answer how the painkilling tablet got inside the sealed bottle. And the couple were left reeling with anger when a postal order for £3 was enclosed with an apology letter to pay for a replacement bottle of milk.

Joyce said: “The letter said we hope this response demonstrates how seriously we consider product quality and customer satisfaction. It doesn’t demonstrate anything.

"The £3 is an insult, they needn’t have bothered. They might think this over now but it isn’t.”

The Co-op had already issued Joyce with a £20 shopping voucher during their investigation. David says both companies were too slow to act and should learn from this incident.

“It’s like they weren’t taking it seriously enough,” he said. “It’s a serious issue.”

A Müller Wiseman Dairies spokesman said: “As one of the leading milk suppliers in the United Kingdom, we distribute more than 35 million litres every week and we are committed to the highest standards of quality for our products, packaging and service.”

A spokesman for The Co-operative said: “We pride ourselves on the high quality of our products, and take any complaints seriously.”