PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — 33 children were hospitalized on Wednesday in Camden after drinking school-issued milk contaminated with sanitizer.
The Camden City School District said investigators discovered a non-toxic consumable sanitizer that is normally run through vendor machines before the milk.
The district said they believe the cartons were filled with the sanitizer, sealed, and then shipped out to the Early Childhood Development Center.
About 64 students were impacted, with 33 going to the hospital, according to Chief Communications Officer Valerie Merritt.
When asked if any of the students had symptoms, she mentioned vomiting, but it was initially unclear how many kids had such symptoms.
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As of late Wednesday afternoon, none of the students remained ill. Merritt said sending them to the hospital was a precautionary measure.
The school district said that all of the milk was pulled, and they will not serve any milk until the investigation is wrapped up.
Merritt said Guida’s Dairy manufactured the milk. Cream-O-Land Dairy distributes it through district food service provider Aramark.
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KYW Newsradio reached out to Guida’s, who sent the following response late Wednesday night.
"At Guida’s Dairy of New Britain, Conn., we are working with our distributor to dispose of 1%, low-fat half-pint milk cartons with a sell-by date of APR 11, after determining that a food-grade sanitizer diluted with water was inadvertently introduced during production. A chemical smell is associated with the product.
"Nothing is more important than the well-being and health of those we serve. Once we were made aware of this issue, we took immediate action and tested the impacted product to verify there is no food safety risk associated with this product.
"While we believe the product impacted is limited, out of an abundance of caution, we are working with the distributor to dispose of any 1%, low-fat half-pint milk cartons with a sell by date of APR 11. The affected product is not available at retail outlets for consumer purchase.
"The quality of our products is deeply important to the Guida’s Dairy team. We are working with all appropriate regulatory agencies to make them aware of this issue and taking the necessary corrective actions."
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Justin Udo contributed to this report.