A Southern Alberta mother who is pregnant with her third child says she was served a cleaning agent from a McDonald’s restaurant instead of the latte she ordered.

Sarah Douglas says she was taking her son to a baseball tournament on Sunday morning in Lethbridge when they stopped at the drive-through for the coffee.

When she took a sip, she knew something was wrong and pulled over to spit out the beverage.

Story continues below advertisement

Ms. Douglas says when she returned to the restaurant to complain, a staff member told her two cleaning lines were hooked up to the latte machine.

She then contacted Alberta Health Services’ Health Link and was transferred to poison control.

A spokeswoman for McDonald’s issued an apology on behalf of Dan Brown, the restaurant franchisee.

Ms. Douglas says she wanted to share her experience to ensure that this never happens again.

“As a mother, I want to make sure I have a voice and that I’m being heard in terms of the safety of consumers, and how [alleged] negligence can affect people in such a drastic way,” she said.

Alberta Health Services says public-health officers are investigating.

McDonald’s says a health inspector has visited the restaurant and is not investigating further.

Story continues below advertisement

“What happened is that the machine was being cleaned – as it is every morning. Unfortunately, the milk supply line was connected to the cleaning solution while this guest’s drink was made,” Mr. Brown said in a statement.

“We have taken immediate action to review the proper cleaning procedures with the team and have put additional signage up as an added reminder.”