QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- A supermarket owner from Qalqiliya will be prosecuted after selling expired fruit juice, an official said Thursday.

Three children were treated for food poisoning on Wednesday after consuming the juice. Police were called after the children were admitted to an emergency room in Qalqiliya.

Officers raided the supermarket where the juice was purchased and found 18 bottles of expired juice.

The head of consumer protection at the Economy Ministry Omar Kabha said Thursday that the supermarket owner would be prosecuted.

The store owner told police the juice was meant to be returned to the distributor but that his wife had mistakenly put it in the fridge, Kabha said in a statement.