CAPE TOWN - Nestlé says police have informed them that the brand name of the instant noodles apparently eaten by three children in Gqerberha shortly before their deaths is known to them, but will not be disclosed to the public until the postmortem results are finalised.
The recent death of siblings Thato, aged 9, and Keamogetswe Makofane, aged 13, from eMbalenhle along with three children from Gqerberha, including a 4-month-old baby, after allegedly eating two-minute noodles, has raised concern around the country.
Nestlé: East and Southern Africa corporate communications and public affairs director Saint-Francis Tohlang extended condolences to the affected families.
“The investigating police of the case in Gqeberha have confirmed with the company that the brand name of the instant noodles is known to them, but will not be disclosed to the public until the postmortem results are finalised to determine (the) exact cause of death.”
Tohlang cited recent articles about the eMbalenhle siblings that tissue samples of both children were taken and sent to police forensic laboratory in Pretoria for analysis.
“Nestlé has, to date, not been contacted by any authorities in connection with these incidents. The company is not in possession of any information to conduct an internal investigation, as such, all our noodles products are still being sold across the country.”
“Nestlé implements a strict food safety and quality management system at all our manufacturing facilities, as such, our products go through stringent food safety and quality assurance,” Tohlang added.
The Health Department said it had met the environmental health practitioners from the affected provinces and municipalities to receive preliminary investigation reports into the children's deaths
“The department will announce the progress by the end of the week,” department spokesperson Foster Mohale said on Tuesday.
Cape Times