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Summary for: Botulism warning: Contaminated almonds traced to sweets sold in central PraguePrague health inspectors have traced almonds linked to a botulism warning to confectionery sold in the city center, urging anyone who still has the affected sweets at home not to eat them.
The warning concerns Nougatinky s mléčnou čokoládou, or milk chocolate nougat sweets, bearing batch number LOT 2647277. A shop on Celetná street in Prague 1 sold them between July 27 and Sept. 20, either by weight or in half-kilogram packages.
Customers can return the affected product to the place of purchase, the Prague Public Health Authority said. Inspectors have arranged for affected chocolates and other products to be withdrawn from sale.
What customers should check
The investigation followed a Health Ministry warning about sliced almonds connected to contaminated raw-material batch L25833.
Prague inspectors checked 19 businesses to establish where the almonds had gone and whether they had been used in other foods.
“The situation was significantly complicated by the fact that the supplier had not informed its customers about the contamination at all,” Prague Public Health Authority director Vladimír Možíšek said in a statement.
The authority’s warning about the nougat sweets asks customers who purchased the specified batch to leave it uneaten and return it.
A related Health Ministry notice also identifies 220-gram packages of sliced almonds sold through Makro under the name OŘECHY Jádra mandlí plátky, listed as “MC Mandle jádra plátky.”
Those packages carry batch numbers L26222612, with a best-before date of Aug. 31, 2027, or L26113912, dated May 31, 2027. The ministry says customers can return or exchange them, preferably where they bought them. í
Symptoms require urgent medical attention
Botulism is a serious illness caused by a toxin that affects the nervous system. It can cause muscle paralysis and, in severe cases, be fatal.
The ministry lists double or blurred vision, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing or speaking, and muscle weakness among the symptoms. Breathing difficulties can develop in serious cases.
Symptoms usually appear within six to 72 hours after consuming contaminated food. Anyone developing these symptoms after eating a potentially affected product should seek medical help immediately, the ministry advises.
The warning is specific to the identified products and batches. For customers who bought the Celetná sweets during the summer, the key step is to check any remaining packaging for LOT 2647277 before consuming them.
