A birthday celebration in Maharashtra’s Palghar district turned into a medical emergency after several people fell ill soon after eating cake. Eleven people, including seven children, were hospitalised, with the family alleging that a dead lizard was found inside the cake. Following the incident, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided the bakery from where the cake was purchased and cancelled its licence.
Three of the seven children are reportedly in critical condition and have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The incident comes amid a statewide food safety inspection drive by the Maharashtra FDA, which has been checking quick-commerce warehouses and stores across the state.
The agency recently inspected 86 facilities operated by Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart. Following the inspections, 14 licences were revoked, including five belonging to Blinkit, five to Zepto and two to Swiggy Instamart. Sixty facilities were issued improvement notices, while one facility was shut down completely.
The Maharashtra FDA has also suspended the food business licences of four Domino’s Pizza outlets, including three in Mumbai, after inspections on August 13 found violations of food safety and hygiene regulations.
It also suspended the licence of a Blinkit facility in Mumbai and seized 54 boxes of 'Kaju Katli' from a Reliance Retail outlet in Buldhana following inspections that uncovered major food safety violations across the state on August 11.
What happened at the bakery?
According to Maharashtra Police, the incident took place on Saturday evening in Neelkantheshwar in the Takipada area of Nalasopara (East), where local residents had gathered to celebrate the birthday of a 25-year-old woman.
Police said that around 6 pm, some children arrived with a cake for the birthday celebration. Shortly after eating the cake, the children complained of a burning sensation in their chests. They then began vomiting and were rushed to a nearby municipal hospital.
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“The children said they found a dead lizard inside the cake. The children are admitted at Vijayalalshmi hospital,” a police officer said.
A team from Tulinj Police visited the hospital to assess the situation. Police also seized samples of the cake and sent them for testing to determine the cause of the illness.
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“The exact cause of the food poisoning is yet to be ascertained,” the officer cited above said.
"We are investigating the case and also alerted the FDA to conduct a review of the bakery from where the cake was purchased,” Vasai-Virar region mayor Ajeev Patil said.