Shoppers say ‘Christmas is ruined’ after finding their turkeys are ‘rotten’

Customers of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Lidl said their turkeys had expired before their use-by dates

Three major supermarkets have been hit with complaints of turkeys having gone off by Christmas Day.

Customers of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Lidl took to social media after unpackaging their birds to discover signs of rotten meat.

Birds with use-by dates of December 26 or later were said to have smelled ‘rancid’.

One photo posted on X appeared to show an uncooked turkey from Sainsbury’s with a large patch of greenish flesh, despite a use-by date of December 27.

One Sainsbury’s bird appeared to be sporting a large patch of rotten flesh (Picture: X/@KinkyGinger23)

The user who uploaded it wrote: ‘Well done Sainsbury’s @sainsburys Christmas is officially ruined!

‘I’ve just got the turkey out of the fridge and it’s rotten! It smells so bad I can’t believe you could sell this? #christmasruined.’

Another Sainsbury’s customer wrote: ‘@sainsburys thanks for ruining Christmas. Bought this turkey crown YESTERDAY from your Sury Basin store in Kingston Upon Thames.

How the turkeys had been stored since purchase could not be confirmed (Picture: /@KinkyGinger23)

‘Straight home to our fridge. Opening tonight to prep for tomorrow and it has gone off.

‘Did not smell good. Please tell me how you fix this for us.’

One Tesco shopper said he will be having pizza for Christmas dinner as his £13 turkey had expired early.

He said: ‘Turkey is off!! I guess it’s pizza. Hoping for a no quibble, full refund Boxing Day.’ 

A Lidl shopper described similar issues with a frozen turkey (Picture: X/@R_V_Smith_A_P)

If kept frozen, the bird should have lasted until next summer (Picture: X/@R_V_Smith_A_P)

Most of the people complaining only discovered the problem on Christmas Day, meaning that finding a replacement would be nigh on impossible.

In a post on a Facebook group for food reviews, Lidl shopper Nikita Kotulinska said: ‘Just a heads up as I’d hate for anyone open theirs up Christmas morning and there be no shops open selling turkeys. 

‘I’ve just gone to wash and marinate my turkey ready for Wednesday and it was fully RANCID inside! Smells awful and the meat had turned green!

‘Bought fresh from Lidl Woodhouse Lane on Friday, dated 26th Dec and been stored at the back of my fridge since bought so there’s absolutely no reason for it to be off.’ 

Another Lidl shopper claimed they experienced similar issues with a frozen bird which they defrosted on Christmas eve.

The user, named only as R Smith, posted pictures of a 2kg turkey, which was supposed to be safe to keep in the freezer until June 2026, showing large patches of blackened meat on the skin.

‘Thanks @LidlGB Defrosted and ready to season for tomorrow – and this is what I find! Best Christmas gift ever! #turkey #lidl I’m expecting a full refund.’

Sainsbury’s has said it is ‘contacting a very small number of customers to say how sorry we are that they have received a turkey that doesn’t meet our usual high standards’.

The supermarket added that those cases will be investigated.

Tesco and Lidl have been approached for comment.

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