Croatian Children Given Outdated Sweets on Holiday Train

The news in Croatian

1. događaj (m.)
   nešto što se dogodilo ili će se dogoditi, obično značajno ili zanimljivo ↩︎
2. iznenađenje (n.)
   nešto što nije očekivano, što iznenadi ↩︎
3. isteći
   proći kroz vrijeme valjanosti ↩︎
4. trajanje (n.)
   vrijeme koliko nešto traje ↩︎
5. kontaktirati
   uspostaviti vezu s nekim ↩︎
6. povjerenje (n.)
   vjerovanje u pouzdanost ili istinitost nekoga ili nečega ↩︎

Translation

Text Comprehension

Question: What did the children receive on the ‘Tin Express’ train that caused surprise?

Question: What did the Croatian Railway promise to the affected children and their parents?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
događaj (m.)	event
iznenađenje (n.)	surprise
isteći	expire
trajanje (n.)	duration
kontaktirati	contact
povjerenje (n.)	trust

Read the full story

On Thursday, during their ride, children received gift packages containing treats with expired consumption dates, some of which had passed as early as May and June. This unexpected event has led to understandable concern among parents, as reported sitings of expired chocolates and snacks have raised alarms. In one account shared with the media, a parent noted an off-putting smell coming from a chocolate bar, prompting several to inspect the packages more closely.

HŽ has issued a formal apology to those affected, including the children, parents, and accompanying educators. They acknowledged that a “minor number of packages” from the previous year had mistakenly been included in this year’s distribution instead of being discarded following last year’s rides. To make amends, HŽ has promised another complimentary festive train ride for the affected children and a refund for the initial trip.

The company has reached out to all the schools and kindergartens involved, encouraging them to examine the contents of the packages thoroughly. They assured these institutions of their commitment to addressing the oversight and ensuring such an incident does not occur again.

This incident, while unfortunate, showcases the rapid response and accountability measures put in place by the Croatian Railways to manage what they describe as an “unintentional mistake.” With promises of improved procedures, they aim to restore trust and continue providing magical experiences during the holiday season.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to teaching Croatian. We offer various online courses, including Croatian for beginners, designed to provide learners with a solid foundation in the language.