29-05-2025
Cannabis found in Dutch Haribo
Haribo has urgently recalled packets of sweets in the Netherlands after some were discovered to have been laced with cannabis.
Several adults and children, including a family, reported feeling dizzy and unwell after eating the sweet brand's Cola-flavoured gummies.
The Netherlands' Food Safety Agency (NVWA) told Dutch media that 'samples were taken and cannabis was found in them'.
A Haribo spokesman told The Telegraph that it is a 'live issue' and they are working to 'establish the facts around the contamination' of the Happy Cola F!ZZ bags.
'The incident is contained to the Netherlands, to a specific product and batch. HARIBO products in the UK and other markets are not affected.'
'Still unknown'
The size of the contamination is not yet clear, with three bags of the fizzy cola bottles reported so far. As a precaution, Haribo has recalled 8,000 of them.
The affected bags have a best before date of January 2026.
'How the cannabis ended up in the sweets is still unknown. The police are investigating this further,' the NVWA said in a statement.
It is also not clear how many people have been affected by the incident.
'Quite ill'
Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reported that the youngest members of the family who ate the cannabis-laced sweets had become 'quite ill'.
Haribo earlier released a warning to the public that there were bags in circulation that, if consumed, 'can lead to health problems such as dizziness.'
'Do not eat the sweets,' the statement added.
The German confectionery giant said that the safety of its customers is its 'highest priority' and it was taking the incident 'very seriously'.
'Contamination'
'Haribo is working closely with the authorities to support their investigation and establish the facts around the contamination,' a spokesman said.
Customers have been advised to send the sweets back to the manufacturer, rather than return them in store, in exchange for a refund.
Last year, Haribo was forced to recall a batch of Tangfastics in Canada after pieces of wood were found inside the sweets.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) listed the recall under 'Class 2' which means that consuming the contaminated food may lead to short-term or non-life-threatening health problems.
