A mother from Canada's Vancouver Island has sounded the alarm after discovering a pill inside a bakery treat purchased from Starbucks, prompting concerns for the safety of other children in the area.
Isabelle Piper recounted the incident, stating she visited a Starbucks drive-through in Courtenay last Thursday morning and decided to treat her 5-year-old son to a cake pop.
However, when he bit into the sweet, he noticed an unusual taste, leading Piper to inspect the treat and find a red and blue pill embedded inside, reported Canadian news agency globalnews.ca.
Alarmed by the discovery, Piper immediately contacted Starbucks and shared her experience on Facebook to alert other parents in the community.
"A cake pop is an easy thing to (buy) for your child, and I would be devastated if it happened to someone else’s child," she said, adding that the need for heightened vigilance when providing non-home-cooked food to children.
In response to the incident, Starbucks swiftly removed all cake pops from their locations in the city of Courtenay and Comox Valley and launched an investigation.
Piper handed over the contaminated cake pop to the police for further analysis. While in contact with Starbucks' customer support, Piper expressed confusion about the involvement of the cake pop manufacturer, seeing it as primarily a Starbucks issue.
Starbucks, acknowledging the incident, said in an email that they are cooperating with the customer for a thorough investigation.
"Delivering a safe and quality experience to our customers is our top priority, and we will act with an abundance of caution whenever a potential concern is raised," said a Starbucks spokesperson.
