Criticism of Tesco firms, including Tesco and Asda, said they shared shoppers' "anger and outrage". Whitbread vowed to remedy the unacceptable situation on 26 February . The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) chief executive, Catherine Brown also said "it is unlikely we will ever know" how many unwittingly ate horse meat. On 22 May 2007 the BBC's "Whistleblower" programme showed undercover footage detailing breaches of food hygiene rules in a branch of Tesco. The Whistleblower reporter applied for a job following a tip-off from a former employee. Breaches included the sale of products after their sell-by date; allegations that the company illegally and sold
Criticism of Tesco justified an aggravated damages award. "Tesco Group of Companies (Holdings) v Hill" [1977] I.R.L.R. 63, a checkout lady did not ring up 18 items worth £7 in one customer's purchase. Tesco started an investigation. She said she felt ill. Tesco called the police. They dismissed her. The Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the dismissal was unfair because she was given no opportunity to state her case when she was in a fit state. "Johnson v Tesco Stores" [1976] I.R.L.R. 103, an old case under old law, the employment tribunal found Tesco to have unfairly dismissed Mr Johnson. He had wrongly