Contaminated candy 'poisons' almost 2,000 schoolchildren in the Philippines

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Almost 2,000 students suffered stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting
The cause was batch of contaminated candy vendors sold outside schools
A health department spokesman said it may be 'intentional or mishandling'
Police have arrested nine street vendors and are investigating the producer

Published: 03:21 EST, 14 July 2015 | Updated: 04:00 EST, 14 July 2015

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Almost 2,000 schoolchildren have been struck down with stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting after being poisoned by a batch of contaminated candy sold outside schools in the Philippines.

Authorities say they are now investigating all possible causes of the emergency, including whether it was 'intentional ' or 'mishandling'.

Earlier estimates stated only 1,000 children were poisoned - this figure skyrocketed on Friday when hospitals on the southern island of Mindanao began treating patients.

Now at least 1,925 schoolchildren have reported being sick after eating the fruit-flavoured candy, while 66 remain in hospital.

Lyndon Lee Suy, a health department spokesman, said the department's experts were considering all possible causes.

'It could be intentional, it could be mishandling,' he said.

The children all complained of stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and headaches after consuming the durian, mango and mangosteen-flavoured treats that were sold by vendors outside schools.

The government's Food and Drug Administration said it was looking into possible contamination involving staphylococcus, salmonella or E. coli bacteria, with test results available tomorrow at the earliest.

Police have arrested nine street vendors who obtained the sweets from the same producer - Wendy's Delicious Durian Candy.

The owner of that company, Janet Aquino, is also under investigation after turning herself in to police.

Narciso Verdadero, the chief of police in one of the affected provinces, said the vendors will likely be charged for violating consumer safety laws.

'The owner is not yet off the hook because many violations have been spotted like [the lack of] expiration dates on the products and proper labelling,' he added.

The health department called on the public to be on guard for spoiled or unsafe food being sold, particularly repackaged food items peddled without proper labels.

The Philippines' southeastern region is famous for producing tropical fruits, which are transformed into a range of food products including confectioneries, jams and ice cream.

Poor enforcement of food safety regulations has been blamed for past cases of food poisoning in the Philippines, an impoverished nation of 100 million people.