Authorities in the Eastern Cape are on high alert following the death of three children after they consumed an instant porridge product on Friday.

The three children, aged between one and four, had been fed Top Score Instant Porridge bought at a local Spar in the Eastern Cape. The De Frietas Spar announced on social media that it was recalling all Top Score instant porridge products with a full refund offered. The three children have been identified as siblings Lithembelihle and Iminathi Bambela, aged four and one, respectively and one-year-old Live Ndudane. 

A fourth child, aged seven, received medical treatment after eating the same product. 

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed the children, all from Unit 2, Mdantsane, outside East London, died on Friday.  “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 porridge manufacturer, Namib Mills, said that while the deaths saddened them, there was no evidence linking the deaths to their products.

In the last few years, South Africa, mainly Gauteng, has seen a spate of child deaths due to suspected food poisoning. In late August, four children, two of them siblings, died the same day after being rushed to health facilities across the province. The City of Tshwane, where the two siblings, aged four and six, lived, said that the reason behind these poisonings was because community members bought food from non-certified food sellers. 

City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the city conducts about 2,300 inspections at informal food premises annually. “When there is an increase in reported cases of food poisoning in the province, an increased and targeted approach is embarked on; hence, we conducted 2,838 informal food premises inspections in the city in the last financial year,” said Mashigo. 

The public has been urged to be vigilant when buying food, ensuring expiry dates are visible, packaging is not damaged, and purchases are made from reputable retailers.

Consumers are advised not to buy products that lack details about ingredients, nutritional information, storage advice, expiry and production dates, and manufacturing information. They are also urged to be on the lookout for fake food items—such products may have spelling errors or incorrect logos.