Richester Foods says it has been cleared following the release of test results from an independent laboratory which looked into the specific batch of lollipops that came under scrutiny after pupils at a KZN school fell sick after they apparently ate the sweets.
RICHESTER Foods says it has been cleared following the release of test results from an independent laboratory that looked into the specific batch of lollipops that came under scrutiny after pupils at a KwaZulu-Natal school fell sick after they apparently ate the sweets.
Pupils of uMzovane Primary School in kwaMaphumulo reportedly fell sick after allegedly eating XPOP Energy Red Dragon lollipops they bought from a vendor last Monday.
Richester Foods subsequently launched a full internal investigation into the matter and submitted lollipops from the product batch in question for independent testing.
Richester Foods said on Tuesday that the release of the independent testing results had officially cleared the company, but they were now urging health authorities to find the cause of the health scare.
“After performing a thorough microbiological analysis on these samples, however, independent laboratory KLM High-Giene Solutions has verified that the lollipops were free of any bacterial contamination or causes that could relate to ill health,” the company said.
In a letter, KLM director Khutsiso Kgole stated: “We can confirm that, based on the test results supplied (of the specified sample), the product was clear of any of the tested bacteria, thus rendering it microbiologically clean (from the tested organisms/bacteria).”
Richester Foods managing director Dr Hussein Cassim said the results came as a welcome relief, reaffirming the company’s rigorous quality, health and safety controls.
The results have also been shared with officials from the KZN Department of Health, as well as the National Consumer Commission, the company said.
“Quality and food safety remain our top priority, and these test results have given proof to the strength of our hygiene and safety practices,” Cassim said.
“Our lollipops have been firmly vindicated, and we hope that this will remove any lingering worries so that children and customers can once again feel free to enjoy our sweets without fear.
“Given that the XPOP Energy Red Dragon lollipops have been absolved of any negativity, Richester Foods urges the Department of Health and NCC to look more closely into the matter to find the real cause of the children’s illness in order to prevent unfortunate incidents of this nature from happening again.”
