The children were rushed to hospital after they suffered stomach pains after consuming the lollipops.
SWEETS manufacturer Richester Foods said it was concerned by speculation that a group of KwaZulu-Natal primary school children fell ill after allegedly eating XPOP Energy Red Dragon lollipops bought from a street vendor.
At least 46 children were rushed to hospital after they suffered stomach pains after consuming the lollipops, Education spokesperson in the province Muzi Mahlambi said.
Richester Foods managing director Hussein Cassim said the company had launched an internal investigation.
“As a sweet-seller, children are at the very heart of our business. The health and safety of our customers is our highest priority, and we are unequivocally committed to absolute and complete food safety,” Cassim said.
“This is one of our most popular products that has been in circulation since 2017, and we are therefore taking urgent action to get to the bottom of the matter, and to allay all concerns.”
The company noted that from the batch number, 09/004, the lollipops were apparently manufactured on September 28, 2021, while independent chemical and microbiological testing results were expected next Tuesday.
“As its next step, the company met with the Department of Health and the National Consumer Council (NCC) today for an information-sharing session.
“The department and NCC noted that neither is launching a formal investigation into the matter at this time, but that they will await the test results from Richester’s own internal and independent investigations before forming a view on the issue.
“One issue raised during the meeting was the question of the ‘warning sign’ on the company’s lollipop label which mentions ‘brain boost’’, ‘sports power’ and ‘xtreme flavour’,” the company said.
The list of ingredients included in the lollipop, Richester Foods said, were:
· Sugar
· Corn syrup
· Water
· Citric Acid (E-133)
· Malic acid (E-296)
· Sodium Bicarbonate (E-500)
· Silicon Dioxide (e-551)
· Tartaric Acid (E-334)
· Mono Dextrose
· Soya Lecithin (E-322)
· Artificial flavours and colours (E-171, E-124)
Should any members of the public have a complaint regarding a Richester Food product, they were invited to contact the company via its customer care hotline at 012 666 8606.
