COIMBATORE: Nestlé is back in the news and for the wrong reasons again. A resident of Karumbukadai near Ukkadam here has alleged that worms were found in the brand’s baby cereal ‘Nestum’ and his two-year-old son was hospitalised after its consumption.
Manzoor Ali, who had bought the Nestum packet from a shop near his residence on Monday, claimed that his son began throwing up after consuming its contents.
“We took him to the hospital and he was discharged by Tuesday afternoon. We did not realise that it was because of the baby food. On Tuesday night, we again gave him Nestum and at night he started vomiting again. We took him to hospital, where doctors said it was due to food poisoning,” said Manzoor.
On suspicion, the family checked the Nestum packet and found worms in it. “We spoke to the Food Safety Officer and Thursday being a holiday, we couldn’t file a complaint. We will do it on Friday he said,” he said.
Manzoor also said that the product had not crossed its expiry date and that he used to buy other things from the shop regularly. The distributors of the product visited the shop but feigned ignorance about the issue.
When contacted, Nestlé spokesperson Himanshu Manglik told Express, “As soon we received information about the complaint from Coimbatore, we sent a representative to investigate. Though initial inspection on the pack did not reveal anything unusual, we have taken samples from the same batch of products in the market, which will be sent for testing at an accredited food laboratory. Our manufacturing technology excludes the possibility of insects existing in the sealed package. Immediately before the package is sealed, any remaining oxygen is completely removed to maintain the product’s freshness and nutritional value.”
He further said that quality and safety of the products are non-negotiable priorities of the company.
