A Scots mum has issued a Kinder Surprise egg warning to other parents after she and her two young boys were floored with suspected salmonella poisoning.
Leah Laidlaw, from Dundee, had bought two of the sweet treats last month - just days before her three-year-old son Harley began being violently sick.
The 33-year-old told how the youngster was unable to keep anything down, including water, before then developing chronic diarrhoea.
Baby Mekhi, one, soon also fell ill followed by the mum-of-three who told how she was almost left in tears by the painful stomach cramps.
Confectionary giant Ferrero has recalled a number of Kinder products over links to the ongoing salmonella outbreak, which is largely affecting children.
The Food Standards Agency has warned members of the public not to eat any of the suspect products including a certain batch of Kinder Schokobons and Mini Eggs.
Leah admits she was aware of the recall but didn’t think it would be affecting products for sale in Scotland.
She said: “It was just horrendous. All three of us were just floored. I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. My husband and daughter, who didn’t have any of the chocolate, were fine though.
“My mum had sent me a post about the recall but I actually said to her, ‘that’s from Belgium, that’s not here’.
“I’ve now checked the date on the back of the remaining Kinder egg I’ve still got in the house and it is one of the ones that are being recalled.
“I have reported it to them but I’ve not heard anything back. But I just want everyone to be aware of this with Easter coming up.
“I would urge all parents to just bin all their Kinder stuff. I wouldn’t even risk giving them any of it after what we’ve been through.
“It was my own stupidity because I had seen the post but never thought anything of it because they were still being sold in the shops.
“If I knew what I do now, obviously I’d never have bought them. We’ll be steering clear from Kinder for a good long while.”
She added: “My son, me and my little one all shared one egg in the car and never thought anything of it.
“But a few days later, they both started getting really unwell. I thought they just had a normal bug because there’s obviously so much going about just now.
“Then Harley stopped being able to keep anything down - even a little bit of water. He was being sick with nothing coming up. This went on for a couple of days.
“Then came the diarrhoea nappies. He was really frail and wasn’t responding very much. We were giving him some dioralyte to try to build his fluids back up but he kept throwing that up too.
“A day and a half after Harley started being sick, Mekhi started vomiting through the night. His nappies were also very loose. With him being a baby, he got really poorly.
“He was crying constantly. Harley kept trying to eat but nothing stayed down. Mekhi wasn’t able to take any of his bottles.
“Anything they tried to consume was just coming straight back up. And then the next day, it hit me. I started to feel really sick.
“Both boys were still being sick and I couldn’t get out of the bathroom. I’ve had to bin all their covers because it was just constant.
“Harley’s whole body was going red and sore because he was vomiting so much that all his muscles were tightening. His face was a mess because he had burst blood vessels from being sick. It was just awful.
“I was nearly crying as a grown adult with the stomach cramps. Harley kept screaming that his tummy was sore so he was obviously suffering too.
“I think Harley’s now a bit scared of Easter eggs but we’re trying to explain to him that not all of them are the same.”
Tina Potter, the Food Standards Agency’s Head of Incidents, said: "We have taken action along with local authorities and authorities in Belgium to minimise the risk based on the evidence so far.
"We welcome the precautionary approach being taken by Ferrero and are advising consumers not to eat any of the products listed in the FSA alert.
“It is really important that consumers follow this advice to avoid the risk of becoming ill with salmonella poisoning.
“We know that these particular products are popular with young children, especially as Easter approaches, so we would urge parents and guardians of children to check if any products already in their home are affected by this recall.
"The food business involved has voluntarily carried out this product withdrawal and recall and we are working closely with them and their competent authorities to identify the precise cause of this outbreak.
“We are also working closely with UK and international partners including UKHSA and Food Standards Scotland.”
The precautionary recall includes Kinder Surprise 20g and 20g x 3, Kinder Surprise 100g, Kinder Mini eggs 75g, Kinder Egg Hunt Kit 150g and Kinder Schokobons 200g.
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