More than 40 toddlers were taken to hospital in South Africa on Monday after mistaking rat poison for sweets.

"Upon medical examination, 17 were admitted for overnight observation, while the remaining 24 were discharged home in a satisfactory condition," regional health authorities for Gauteng said.

Also on Monday, a group of 10 people including eight children were referred to a different hospital in the same province.

Health authorities say this is all part of an "alarming" overall rise in food poisoning cases - with a total of 863 such incidents reported since last October.

They're advising parents and guardians to take greater care to protect children, and say anybody with food-poisoning symptoms - such as nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach aches - should visit their nearest health centre as quickly as possible.