Children fall ill after eating larvae-contaminated chocolate Santas in Hungary – video
Several children in Hajdúböszörmény fell ill after consuming chocolate Santas contaminated with larvae, local reports confirmed. The sweets were distributed as part of school and kindergarten meals on Friday, and some children only noticed the problem after taking bites.
Children ill after eating contaminated chocolate Santas
According to pest control experts contacted by RTL Híradó, the chocolates may have been contaminated with fly or flour moth larvae. While some children suffered mild stomach pains and nausea after eating the chocolate, others were disturbed simply by its appearance.
The local municipal company responsible for catering in state institutions immediately recalled the remaining chocolates and filed a complaint with the supplier. Officials emphasised that the sweets were still within their best-before date. Some children reportedly consumed nearly the entire chocolate before spotting the larvae.
Hajdúböszörmény’s municipality posted on Facebook acknowledging “an issue” with the quality of the chocolates and apologised to those affected. They added that a full quality investigation is underway.
Investigation ongoing
The manufacturer confirmed to RTL Híradó that upon receiving complaints, it notified its retailers and is actively investigating how the contamination occurred. While they did not specify the exact nature of the contamination, they suspect flour moth larvae.
The National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) stated that they had not received any reports regarding the incident.