Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Namib Mills has temporarily withdrawn all Top Score Instant Porridge from the market following the deaths of three children in Mdantsane township, Buffalo City, South Africa.
The children, aged 4, 18 months and 17 months, passed away on Sunday, with two of them from the same household.
NamibMills’ senior brand manager, Marné Bouwer, expressed deep regret following the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by the reports circulating that three children have passed away. There is currently no evidence linking our product to this incident, but we are taking the matter very seriously,” she said.
Bouwer said the company decided to temporarily withdraw all Top Score Instant Porridge products from the market as a precautionary measure.
“As a precautionary measure, we have decided to temporarily withdraw all Top Score Instant Porridge products from the market while an investigation is underway. This is a proactive measure, reflecting our commitment to consumer safety,” she said.
The Citizen newspaper in South Africa reported that the children died from suspected food poisoning after consuming instant porridge.
On Saturday morning, the health inspectors from Buffalo City, along with the South African Police Service, the Department of Health, and BCM Law Enforcement, responded to a report that four children had been rushed to the hospital after consuming instant porridge.
According to the report, the fourth child, aged 7, was discharged in stable condition, and further tests will be conducted.
Authorities visited the supermarket allegedly responsible for selling the instant porridge and temporarily closed it down, detaining all batches of the suspected product.
Samples will be sent to the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) for microbiological and chemical analysis.
“Currently, our municipal health teams, together with members of the security cluster, are visiting the affected homes to obtain more information as part of an ongoing investigation,” said the municipality.
The municipality has also instructed the supermarket’s regional managers to voluntarily remove the suspected product from circulation across the city until tests are completed.
Meanwhile, local leaders and community members visited the affected families on Sunday to offer support.
Local community leader, Petros Majola, who is spearheading the visit, is demanding a full investigation into the matter.
“I alone would like to do a full investigation about the incident, so that if this thing has the hand of a person, this person should be arrested, so that even if it is a Spar who has made a mistake, he should face the legal action,” he said.
In the letter, dated 28 September, the divisional managing director of Spar Eastern Cape, Siyolo Dick, instructed all retailers to immediately remove the product from shelves as a precautionary measure.
“We take precaution to remove this line from your shelves until we receive the forensic details and laboratory test results,” read the statement.
According to the release, all stock of the product at Spar’s distribution centres in South Africa has also been located and suspended from further supply, pending the results of the investigation.
“We will provide an update as soon as the test results are available and advise if any further action is necessary,” Dick stated.
