A two-year-old girl ended up in the hospital after drinking disinfectant that supposedly was in the water bottle from her McDonald's Happy Meal.
The incident took place on November 20th in Kassel (Germany), where relevant investigations are being carried out. According to the girl's parents, the children's menu was purchased at the self-service of a hamburger chain establishment.
The mother, Katharina Schlemm, 34 years old, told the newspaper HNA that she had ordered water as a drink for her daughter, and only realized that something was wrong when the little girl "turned as red as a tomato" and started screaming. It was then when they discovered that the bottle contained a "strong-smelling liquid".
The parents entered the establishment to ask for help and demand accountability, but the McDonald's shift supervisor did not take the incident seriously and even demanded the return of the bottle. The parents immediately notified the police.
After receiving first aid, the child was taken to a hospital. Authorities indicate that the girl was in stable condition and was very lucky not to have suffered serious injuries.
Apparently, the bottle had been accidentally included in the menu. As reported by Mirror, the Police believe that the bottle may have been used by the fast-food restaurant staff for cleaning and accidentally ended up in the Happy Meal box. There is no evidence of intentional harm towards the girl.
A spokesperson for McDonald's Germany stated, in comments to the newspaper HNA, that the chain is "shocked by the incident" and is "fully cooperating with the investigation," although they could not provide further comments.