Africa-Press – South-Africa. Richester Foods says it is investigating its XPOP Energy Cola Fizz lollipops as the possible cause of alleged poisoning at a Durban school on Friday.
The company launched the investigation after being made aware of an incident involving around 40 children who became sick, allegedly after consuming the lollipops.
Richester Foods managing director Hussein Cassim said the products had been identified and were in the laboratory for testing. He said the company would issue preliminary results on Monday.
“We were very sorry to hear that these children had fallen ill. Our hearts go out to them and their families, and we wish them all a speedy recovery.”
He said the company took food safety and customer well-being seriously and would “get to the bottom” of the claims.
On Friday morning, paramedics, including Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), responded to reports of pupils at a school in Verulam falling ill.
It’s understood that the children who fell ill bought lollipops at a school market day. They complained of abdominal pain, difficulty breathing and nausea.
Many of the children were taken to hospital or other medical facilities.
In February, Richester Foods faced similar claims about its XPOP Energy Red Dragon lollipops. The product was later cleared for safe consumption by an independent laboratory, said Cassim.
“Richester Foods pride ourselves on maintaining the strictest hygiene and safety standards, and we are acting swiftly to ensure that there are no weaknesses in our quality control processes or manufacturing systems. We are contacting the relevant entities and authorities to share updates on our progress and are determined to act with complete transparency,” he said.
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