22 children taken ill after consuming sweets in Almora

Almora: As many as 22 children taken ill after they reportedly consumed sweets at a marriage function at Dwarahat in Almora district on Saturday.

The children were taken to a local government hospital, and were discharged shortly after preliminary treatment.

Following the incident, the district administration registered a complaint and sealed the shop from where sweets were procured, while food safety officials collected samples of sweets for lab test.

After a marriage party arrived at Chaura village in Dwarahat, children were served snacks and sweets. Following which they showed symptoms of food poisoning, with many of them complaining of nausea.

Sub-divisional magistrate Gaurav Chatwal told TOI that patients were discharged from the hospital. “The shop has been sealed and a complaint was also filed under section 56 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.”

Abhay Singh, food safety officer, said, “Food samples collected from the shop have been sent for lab test in Rudrapur. The report will come in two weeks to a month. We have taken photographs of the shop as evidence to buttress our case.”

Meanwhile, inspections were carried out in other sweet shops in Dwarahat, and notices were issued to 10 sweetshops. “We have given adequate time to shops to improve their unhygienic conditions,” added Singh.

This is the second incident in less than three days from the same area. On May 18, more than 40 people were taken ill after consuming sweets and snacks. In both cases, sweets and snacks were procured from the same shop in Dwarahat area.

Asked why the administration failed to take action against the sweetshop after the first incident of food poisoning, Chatwal said, “Sweets were sent to three places for marriage functions from the same shop. We received complaints from two places, but there was no complaint from the third place.”