Update: Jack’s Responds: Video: Health Department Investigating Columbus Restaurant After Facebook Post

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi State Department of Health and a restaurant chain are investigating an alleged contamination incident after a social media post goes viral.

A post on Facebook claims a person who was employed at Jack’s put blood on a customer’s hamburger during a drive thru order.

The poster also claims her daughter was fired for trying to report the alleged intentional contamination.

The health department says an inspector was immediately sent to the restaurant to begin a complete and thorough investigation.

If the agency finds there’s enough evidence about the alleged allegations, it will turn its findings over to local law enforcement.

Columbus police say they are aware of the social media posts but no victim has come forward to file a complaint.

Jack’s responded to our request for information Wednesday evening.

In part, it says the employee that claims to have seen the alleged incident was terminated several days ago and it was not aware of the allegations.

A spokesperson says Jack’s is working to determine the validity of the claims and will take further action, if appropriate.

MSDH says the Columbus location has scored well on past inspections.

This is the response from Jack’s:

“Joey,

I received your message on contacting you in regards to allegations in Columbus, MS at our Jack’s. Food safety is our top priority at all Jack’s Restaurants. As part of our rigorous food safety program, Jack’s maintains strict food handling policies and procedures that all team members must follow.

Jack’s was recently made aware of an audio tape recording posted on social media, which allegedly claims that an employee at a restaurant in Columbus, MS potentially violated our stringent safety standards. The employee allegedly involved in this incident was terminated several days ago for unrelated reasons and no longer works for us. At the time of her dismissal Jack’s was not aware of these allegations.

At Jack’s, we take these allegations very seriously and are working to determine the validity of these claims. Additionally, we are committed to taking further action if appropriate.

Thank you for reaching out.”