Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner' - Uju Ayalogu's Blog for News, Reviews, Articles and More

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Thursday 14 January 2016

Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner'

Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner'

A schoolgirl was rushed to hospital with a 'burning throat' after she drank a Fruit Shoot which 'tasted like oven cleaner'.

Environmental Health Officers are investigating after Ellie Robinson-Smith, 10, gulped a few mouthfuls of the summer fruits flavoured bottle and almost instantly took ill.

She had removed two bottles from a multi-pack, pulled off the plastic lids and handed one of the Robinson's kids' drinks to her three-year-old sister, Heidi.

Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner'

Environmental Health Officers are investigating after Ellie Robinson-Smith (pictured, with mother Sammi), took ill after drinking a Fruit Shoot
But when she the juice hit her throat she immediately noticed something was wrong.

Mother Sammi examined the bottle, and was taken aback by the repulsive smell coming from the liquid.

The 29-year-old said: 'I opened the lid to smell it and it smelt really bad. I wanted to throw up straight away.

'I tried it and it was absolutely disgusting. It was supposed to taste like summer fruits but instead tasted and smelt like nail varnish remover or cleaning fluid.

'I was so worried. We had no idea what it was.'

Within an hour of drinking the juice, Ellie, who is now 11, became seriously unwell. Her throat began burning and she had to rush to the bathroom with both sickness and diarrhoea.

Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner'

Within an hour of drinking the juice, Ellie, who is now 11, became seriously unwell. Her throat began burning and she had to rush to the bathroom with both sickness and diarrhoea
Her terrified mother called 101 and spoke to an operator who recommend they both go to the Accident and Emergency Unit at nearby Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Kent, straight away.

Mrs Smith said: 'I was panicking. By the time we got to the hospital it had been a couple of hours since Ellie had the drink.

'The nurse I gave the bottle to was really worried about her. We poured some of the drink into a test tube and there were little white bits floating around.

'He was running around showing all the nurses. They had no idea what was in it.


The 48-bottle multi-pack the family bought from Costco in Thurrock are not due to expire for another six months
'They did an ECG on Ellie straight away and wanted to do observations on her.'

After some hours, the nurses decided Ellie's observations were normal so sent her home.

But for the next few days, the mother and daughter pair both suffered from severe diarrhoea and stomach pains - meaning Ellie had to miss three days of school.

Mrs Smith, from Gravesend, Kent, dialled the help number on the side of the bottle and was told to send a sample to Britvic, who make Fruit Shoot, for testing.

She also contacted her local council, Gravesham Borough Council, who passed the complaint on to Thurrock Council. Environmental Health Officers have since launched an investigation.

The results are pending - but Britvic said they believe the bottle was contaminated with a penicillium-type mould, which can cause people to feel or be sick.

They told Mrs Smith the mould can react with preservative in the drink to produce a very strong 'petrol or chemical' taste and smell.

The 48-bottle multi-pack the family bought from Costco in Thurrock are not due to expire for another six months.

Sammi, a full-time mother, said: 'If Ellie's little sister, Heidi, had gotten hold of that bottle, she would have gulped it all down.

'If you gave it to a young child they wouldn't necessarily spit it out. That's what worries me.'

Concerned, Mrs Smith posted a warning on Facebook to other parents who may also frequently buy the popular small bottles for their children's lunches.

It has since been shared by more than 50,000 people.

Mother Debbie Hobden said she suffered a similar experience with a summer fruits flavour Fruit Shoot her daughter Tallulah Kerens drank.

Debbie, 43, who bought the drink from her local Londis in Westleigh, Hampshire, said: 'Tallulah took a swig and said, "it doesn't taste very nice".

'I opened it up and smelt it. It smelt like cleaning fluid or nail varnish remover. It was really strong. My friend also had a smell and she said it burnt her nose.

'I didn't think any more of it and Tallulah went off to school on the Monday. When I picked her up she was quite poorly. She was off for the rest of the week with an ulcer and a sore throat.

Girl, 10, is rushed to A&E with sickness, diarrhoea and burning throat after drinking Fruit Shoot that 'tasted like oven cleaner'

Her terrified mother called 101 and spoke to an operator who recommend they both go to the Accident and Emergency Unit at nearby Darent Valley Hospital (pictured) in Dartford, Kent, straight away
Her terrified mother called 101 and spoke to an operator who recommend they both go to the Accident and Emergency Unit at nearby Darent Valley Hospital (pictured) in Dartford, Kent, straight away
Britvic said they are carrying out a probe into what happened with Sammi and daughter Ellie.

A spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that the unpleasant taste and smell is the result of mould reacting with the preservative in the product.

'The product in this state is not harmful if consumed, however we appreciate that this was an unpleasant experience for Miss Smith and her daughter.

'This is an industry wide issue, which occurs in very rare instances in uncarbonated soft drinks, which contain fruit juice.

'Fruit Shoot contains fruit juice and, as with any fruit containing soft drink, if exposed to air, there is a possibility of mould growth.'

'We have now been able to confirm the nature of the issue with Miss Smith and express our sincere apologies.'

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