Top Score Instant Porridge recalled nationally after three children ...

Top Score Instant Maize Porridge was pulled off the shelves in both South Africa and Namibia on Sunday, 29 September 2024, as a “precautionary measure” after a preliminary investigation into the death of two babies and a four-year-old child in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, indicated that the maize meal porridge might be the cause.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said police can confirm the children, all from Unit 2, Mdantsane, outside East London, died on Friday. A fourth child received medical treatment after consuming the product.

“According to the report, it is alleged that they ate an instant porridge and after eating they complained of stomach ache. They were taken to a nearby clinic for treatment, where they died. Police were summoned to the scene, and three inquest dockets had been opened,” she said. 

The three children are from two families.

Buffalo City Municipality executive mayor Princess Faku expressed her sadness at the death of the three children.

“I’m saddened and devastated by the death of these little children. We are sending our condolences to the families and to the community of Mdantsane. This is tragic and I believe that law enforcement agencies will get to the root of what led to their deaths,” the mayor said. 

Following the deaths, an operation was launched by Buffalo City health inspectors, police, the Department of Health and the metro police on Saturday.

“Sadly, three of the children, between the ages one and four years, passed away, two of which were from the same household. The fourth child, aged seven, was discharged in a stable condition and further tests will be conducted. Police are investigating the matter,” the municipality’s Bongani Fuzile said.

The children have been identified as four-year-old Lithembelihle Bambela, 17-month-old Iminathi Bambela and 18-month-old Live Ndudane.

Fuzile said it had been confirmed that the porridge was bought at the Spar Highway Mdantsane, and that the product has now been removed from the shelves of Spar shops in the Eastern Cape .

“The supermarket in Mdantsane was visited this morning, and temporarily closed down in order to detain all the batches of suspected products. Samples will be dispatched to National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) microbiological and chemical lab for analysis.

“All the batches of the suspected product (instant porridge) have been removed from the shelves and put in storage until laboratory reports come back,” he said.

“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.

“We have further instructed regional managers at the supermarket to voluntarily remove the suspected product from circulation across the city until tests are conducted. While the direct link to the fatalities has not been scientifically established, we suspect organophosphate poisoning based on clinical information obtained from the treatment facility (Nontyatyambo clinic). This is, however, subject to reports of the products’ sampling test results,” Fuzile added.

Marné Bouwer from Namib Mills said there were allegations that Top Score Instant Porridge “may be implicated” in the deaths of the children.

As a company, she said, they were sending their deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. 

“But currently, there is no evidence linking our product,” she said.

Bouwer said the company was taking the matter very seriously, and as a precautionary matter, was withdrawing all Top Score products from retail. She added that the company has also launched an internal investigation. 

The Spar Group said on Sunday it was shocked and deeply saddened by reports on social media that three children had passed away after allegedly consuming Namibian-produced Top Score vanilla-flavoured instant maize porridge.

While the children were reported to have eaten the vanilla-flavoured product, Spar said it would remove “all products of this line”.

“We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family during this extremely difficult time. We are currently working with local authorities to contact the family and offer them support.

“While the cause of death is still to be ascertained, we have been in contact with the supplier to immediately suspend distribution of the product. We have also taken the precautionary measure of removing the product from our shelves while the necessary food safety measures are being conducted, which includes comprehensive laboratory testing,” Spar’s statement concluded. DM