Elementary School Bake Sale Turned to Chaos After Batteries Were Found in Muffins That Kids Ate

A group of elementary school children in Germany was sent to the hospital in a panic after baked goods brought into an event were found to have had batteries in them.

According to local outlet Die Zeit, a plate of homemade muffins were brought to a bake sale event at a primary school in Coswig. Two children discovered something in their muffins that was later determined to be button batteries, prompting a health panic among staff, children and parents.

A Facebook post from the Wittenberg district confirmed that 16 children had eaten the muffins and were impacted by the potential health scare. After discovering the muffins potentially had batteries in them, a “mass casualty protocol” went out, prompting a response from more than 35 emergency personnel and 12 ambulances. However, only one of the 16 students went to the hospital in an ambulance; the rest were taken for evaluation to the hospital by their parents.

According to Die Zeit, police’s initial investigation does not indicate that the inclusion of the batteries in the muffins was a deliberate or malicious act. However, it is still under investigation.

Despite the large cautionary response, only three button batteries were found across two of the muffins. Regardless, authorities in the area are warning parents that they should not wait for their children to experience symptoms, which include vomiting, coughing, loss of appetite or fever. If they think there’s a chance their children ate some of the muffins, they should get their children medically evaluated immediately.

“My thoughts are with the children and their families, who are now awaiting the results of the medical examinations,” District Administrator Christian Tylsch said in the Facebook press release. “I would like to thank the emergency responders and the school staff who took care of the children. It is now up to the police to investigate how this incident occurred.”