A two-year-old girl had to be taken to hospital after she allegedly drank from a bottle of disinfectant that was reported to be included in her McDonald’s Happy Meal
The girl had to be rushed to hospital following the accidental mix-up (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
Investigations are underway after a toddler reportedly drank from a bottle of disinfectant. Her parents were left horrified when they found the bottle, which mistakenly included in her McDonald’s Happy Meal.
The two-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after she started drinking from a bottle of “strong smelling liquid” that had allegedly been accidentally added to her meal ordered from a drive-thru. The girl’s mum, 34, stated that she had opted for water as her daughter’s drink, and only realised something was wrong when her little one turned bright red and screamed as they drove away.
The mother quickly returned to confront the staff about the incident and subsequently rang the police, and claimed told her that her daughter was lucky not to have been seriously hurt. The toddler was initially looked at by paramedics, before being taken off to hospital by her mum.
The girl had been given the bottle in her Happy Meal box (stock)(Image: Getty)
Police suspect that the bottle had previously been used for cleaning by the staff, and was accidentally slipped into the Happy Meal packaging at the fast- food outlet in Kassel, Germany. An investigation for causing bodily harm through negligence has been initiated, as there was no evidence of deliberate harm towards the child.
A spokeswoman for McDonald’s Germany said that the fast food giant is “fully cooperating with the investigation”, adding that they were “moved by the events” but could not provide any further comment. But this isn’t the first time an unexpected item has been discovered inside a Happy Meal, according to the Mirror.
In October 2023, a British mum claimed she was “put off” ordering from McDonald’s after allegedly discovering a cigarette butt in her child’s meal. Gemma Kirk-Bonner stumbled upon the unpleasant find while feeding her sons Caleb, then aged one, and Jackson, three at the time.
It is believed the bottle had accidentally slipped in while the branch was being cleaned (stock)(Image: wera Rodsawang via Getty Images)
The teaching assistant had bought two £3.59 fish finger boxes from a branch in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and was feeding her youngest when she spotted the stub at the bottom of the box. She recounted: “I gave my three-year-old his without looking.
“Then I put my one-year-old in his high chair, and I was feeding him by hand; I was picking the fish fingers up for him. That’s when I noticed the ash and the cigarette in the box. It was disgusting. I was absolutely fuming.
“If I’d given the box to my three-year-old, he would have tried to eat it. He wouldn’t have known it was different. I put on Facebook, ‘Forget the toy – now comes with cigarette end [and] ash for extra taste’ because I was fuming.”
Other disgusting items found inside meals have included cigarette butts (stock)(Image: Eko Prasetyo via Getty Images)
At that time, McDonald’s urged Ms Kirk-Bonner to “contact customer services so that we can properly investigate and help them find a resolution.”
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