Bexhill toddler falls ill with salmonella after ‘eating Kinder Surprise eggs’, mum says

A Bexhill mother says her two-year-old son fell seriously ill with salmonella food poisoning after eating three Kinder Surprise eggs.
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Charlotte Morris, of London Road, Bexhill said Rowan Lavender became ill on April 2.

The toddler’s illness comes amid a recent product recall for some batches of Kinder eggs.

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On April 4, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) urged parents not to give their children certain Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs due to the possible presence of salmonella.

Rowan in hospital SUS-220414-090950001Rowan in hospital SUS-220414-090950001
Rowan in hospital SUS-220414-090950001

It said the eggs had a ‘potential link to a salmonella outbreak’ where more than 50 cases have been found in the UK.

Ferrero, which owns the Kinder brand, said it has recalled batches of its individual 20g eggs and those that come in packs of three with a best before date of between July 11, 2022 and October 7, 2022.

A spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about Rowan and our sincere thoughts are with him and his family at this time. We deeply regret this matter.”

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The chocolate manufacturer said the eggs were made at a factory in Belgium.

Rowan Lavender with his mum, Charlotte Morris SUS-220414-091001001Rowan Lavender with his mum, Charlotte Morris SUS-220414-091001001
Rowan Lavender with his mum, Charlotte Morris SUS-220414-091001001

Charlotte said her son started feeling ill while the family was on holiday in Wales.

She said Rowan became sick at a family friend’s birthday party.

Charlotte said: “My sister sent me an article on Kinder eggs being recalled. Rowan’s dad thankfully hadn’t binned the packet. We checked the best before dates of the eggs that have been recalled and this matched the ones Rowan had eaten.

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“We got home and Rowan just cuddled into me and fell asleep. We wanted to keep a close eye on him so laid him on the sofa so we could watch him while he slept.

“After half hour he woke up and started having a seizure. It lasted around 15-20 seconds and he was non-responsive.

“We were going to call an ambulance but knew it would be quicker to drive him up to the hospital ourselves. He didn’t wake when he put him in the car.

“When the doctor finally called us in Rowan had not long woken up and was sick everywhere and very distressed.

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“We explained everything, they did some tests and confirmed that Rowan had salmonella. They wanted us to stay in to keep an eye on him, drink some dioralyte and wanted him to go on the children’s ward to see one of the doctors there.”

Rowan was discharged the next day in the afternoon to recover at home.

A spokesperson for Ferrero said: “We are very sorry to hear about Rowan and our sincere thoughts are with him and his family at this time. We deeply regret this matter.

“We continue to work closely with the food safety authorities to support their investigations. Food safety, quality and consumer care have been at the heart of Ferrero since the company was founded. We are taking every step necessary to preserve the full trust and confidence of our consumers.

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“Further to the voluntary recall on Kinder Surprise 20g and Kinder Surprise 20g x 3 pack in the UK and Ireland with best before dates between July 11, 2022 and October 7, 2022, Ferrero has taken the precautionary decision to voluntarily recall selected Kinder products which include Kinder Mini eggs, Kinder Egg Hunt Kit 150g, Kinder Surprise 100g and Kinder Schokobons in the UK and Ireland with best before dates between April 20, 2022 and August 21, 2022.

“We are working with retailers to ensure that these products are no longer available for purchase and are asking consumers, who have one of these listed products with the above best before dates, to please keep the product and contact our consumer care team on [email protected] or [email protected].

“No other Ferrero and Kinder products are affected by this voluntary recall.

“The company takes food safety extremely seriously and we sincerely apologise for this matter. Our continued commitment to consumer care has driven our decision to extend the voluntary recall.”

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