New Zealand Café Serves Dishwashing Liquid by Mistake

Two women were sent to the hospital after a New Zealand café accidentally served dishwashing liquid instead of wine.  A mount resort located in Queenstown on South Island, Chico’s Restaurant Ltd has plead guilty to selling food containing extraneous matter.  The harmful chemical was sodium hydroxide, according to the Southland Times.

The newspaper reported that the women were rushed to the hospital in July after ingesting the liquid.  One of the women was Sarah Ferguson who ordered a glass of mulled wine from Old Man Rock Café.  She immediately felt a burning sensation on her lips and mouth causing her to spit it out.  Her server, Bethany Sim displayed the same reaction after she tried the drink.

Prosecutor Sarah McKenzie told the court, “A check by café management indicated that a mulled wine container had unfortunately been filled with dishwashing detergent.”

Following an investigation, it was later learned that the liquids had been mixed after 5.2 gallons of dishwashing liquid were stored in a container that used to hold the “Mountain Thunder” brand of mulled wine.

Sim allegedly suffered burns on her throat and esophagus with possible scarring.

The victims will not sue due to New Zealand’s no fault accident law.  Their treatment will be paid for as well as any income loss will be reimbursed by the New Zealand’s Accident Compensation scheme.

The company will hear their sentence next month.  They face a possible fine.