Mother's fear as her five-month-old girl is HOSPITALISED with food poisoning after eating a jar of 'mouldy' baby food

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A five-month-old baby was hospitalised with food poisoning after eating 'mouldy' baby food sold in Tesco.

Full-time mother Michelle Brooks, 22, from Rye, East Sussex, tells how her daughter Mia fell ill and was vomiting just two hours after eating three quarters of the pot of apple and mango puree from Cow and Gate.

She has slammed baby food company Cow and Gate whose products are stocked in Tesco, Boots, Morrisons and most other supermarkets with a retail price of 60p a pot.

Five-month-old Mia, pictured above, fell ill and was vomiting just two hours after eating three quarters of the pot of apple and mango puree from Cow and Gate

Full time mother Michelle Brooks, 22, from Rye, East Sussex, pictured above, has slammed baby food company Cow and Gate whose products are stocked in Tesco, Boots, Morrisons and most other supermarkets with a retail price of 60p a pot

The mother decided to take a closer look at the jar, and realised it was riddled with mould, despite its expiry date of 2018.

Michelle said she called an ambulance at 4.30pm on September 22 after Mia was being sick for a number of hours.

A paramedic sat with Mia for half an hour and monitored her, before leaving because she was showing signs of improvement, according to the mother.

But a week later, Mia still hadn't recovered, so on September 29 Michelle took her to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings where she stayed overnight.

Michelle decided to take a closer look at the jar, and discovered a layer of mould despite it having an expiry date of 2018

The mother called called an ambulance at 4.30pm on September 22 after Mia was being sick for a number of hours and a paramedic sat with Mia for half an hour and monitored her, before leaving because she was showing signs of improvement

Michelle said: 'I thought I'd give Mia a quick pudding, but had no idea it would turn into such a nightmare. I've always used Cow and Gate, it was a brand I trusted.'

She explained how when she opened the first jar she was so busy concentrating on Mia that she didn't see the layer of mould as she stirred the puree.

'I opened the jar and everything was normal, when Mia took her first bite, she made a sour face, but she always does that so I didn't think anything of it.

'Two hours later, she was having bad nappies and being sick, so I called an ambulance and had a look at the food.

'I gave the bottom of it a stir, and up came all this disgusting green mould. It was vile.'

The following day, Michelle opened another jar, apple and strawberry flavoured, and saw that the jar had a significant amount of mould growing on the surface.

But when Michelle, who is also a mother to three-year-old Bridget, complained to Cow and Gate, they told her it was probably damage caused on the way home.

Michelle says: 'I cannot stress enough, the jar was in mint condition when I bought it from Tesco. It even made that popping noise.

A week later Mia, who is pictured above with three-year-old sister Bridget, still hadn't recovered, so on September 29 Michelle took her to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings where she stayed overnight

Michelle, pictured with partner Perry, said she always buys Cow and Gate products and that it was a brand she trusted

After giving Mia (pictured with her big sister Bridget) her pudding, Michelle said she made a sour face after the first bite but because she always does that, she didn't think anything of it. The jar had also appeared normal when she opened it

'But it could be a factory problem and I would want people to know, there could be thousands of jars that are mouldy.'

Michelle says medics believe that Mia suffered from a bacterial infection from the mould, causing her to be ill.

Michelle says: 'I will never buy anything from Cow and Gate again, I am utterly disgusted.'

A spokesperson for Cow and Gate maintains that all the safety checks and tests were correctly operating at the time that the jars were produced, and believe it is an isolated incident.

She said: 'The safety and quality of our baby foods is our top priority.

'We were very concerned to hear that Baby Brooks has been unwell and pleased to hear that she is better.

Two hours later, Mia was having bad nappies and being sick, so Michelle called an ambulance and had a look at the food

After giving the bottom of the jar, pictured above, a stir, lots of 'disgusting green mould' came up. The following day, Michelle opened another jar, apple and strawberry flavoured, and that jar also had huge amounts of mould

Cow and Gate maintains that all the safety checks and tests were correctly operating at the time that the jars were produced, and believe it is an isolated incident

Mother Michelle says medics believe that Mia suffered from a bacterial infection from the mould, causing her to be ill. She says: 'I will never buy anything from Cow and Gate again, I am utterly disgusted'

Cow and Gate say: 'As Ms Brooks reported two separate incidents of mould, we believe it most likely that the jars were damaged after they were filled and sealed at our factory'

'Our jar baby foods are vacuum sealed and sterilised in our factory.

'On occasion, if the lid or jar becomes damaged, the seal can break; allowing air to enter the jar and mould can grow. This could happen when the jar is being transported or stored.

'We take every complaint very seriously.

'We have spoken to Ms Brooks several times and explained the steps we have taken during our investigation.

'Our factory records indicate that all our safety checks and tests were correctly operating at the time the jar was produced.

'This isolated incident and we have not received any other complaints about either batch of baby food.

'As Ms Brooks reported two separate incidents of mould, we believe it most likely that the jars were damaged after they were filled and sealed at our factory.'