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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Haribo recalls sweets in the Netherlands after traces of cannabis found
Space cake, weed cookies and hash brownies may be familiar fare in the Netherlands, but cannabis in bags of children's candy is not and Haribo has recalled its Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets after traces of the drug were found inside. Several people, including children, suffered 'health complaints, such as dizziness' after eating sweets from three 1kg packs, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) in the Netherlands said, adding that a full recall had been undertaken as a precaution. 'How the cannabis ended up in the sweets is still unknown,' a spokesperson for the authority told the Dutch news agency ANP. 'The police are investigating the matter further.' The authority said the packs concerned were genuine Haribo products. Dutch police said in a statement that a couple from the Twente region in the east of the country had brought a pack of the cola-bottle-shaped sweets to their local police station after their young children had become 'quite sick' after eating them. Forensic testing established the presence of cannabis. 'We want to know exactly how it got into the candy and, of course, how the bags ended up in the store,' a police spokesperson, Chantal Westerhoff, said. The sweets are sold in several pack sizes and only those in 1kg bags with a use-by date of January 2026 and a specific product code are affected, Haribo said, adding that a full refund would be paid for all packs returned. Patrick Tax, vice-president of marketing at Haribo, said the recall concerned 'a limited number of cases' in the east of the country. 'The safety of our consumers is our highest priority and Haribo takes this incident very seriously,' he said. 'This is a live issue and we are working closely with the Dutch authorities to support their investigation and establish the facts,' Tax told Agence France-Presse. The NVWA warned people bluntly: 'Do not eat these sweets.' In 2023, six children aged between four and 14 were taken ill in The Hague after eating candy containing THC, one of the active ingredients in cannabis, but the sweets concerned were not regular commercial products. Police said drug smugglers were increasingly using children's sweets as cover and cited several examples of gangs injecting THC into candy. Copies of Haribo's popular gummy bears containing THC can also be found online. - The Guardian
NDTV
4 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Candy Manufacturer Haribo Recalls Sweets After Cannabis Found In Them
Germany-based candy maker Haribo has recalled its Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets in the Netherlands after it was found to contain traces of cannabis. Several people, including children, suffered health complaints such as dizziness after consuming the candy from three one-kilogram packs, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said. The recall applies to the items under the production code L341-4002307906, with a best before date of January 2026. Haribo added that a full refund would be provided for the packs returned, according to a report in The Guardian. "There are bags in circulation with sweets that can lead to health complaints, such as dizziness, when consumed," NVWA spokesperson Saida Ahyad said. "The police reported this to the NVWA after several people, both children and adults, became ill after eating the cola bottles. Do not eat the sweets," she added. According to the Dutch police, a couple from the Twente region in the east of the country bought a pack of the cola-bottle shaped sweets to the local police station for analysis after their young children became sick after eating them. The forensic analysis revealed that the candy pack did contain cannabis. 'We want to know exactly how it got into the candy and, of course, how the bags ended up in the store,' police spokesperson Chantal Westerhoff said. Haribo issued a statement, stating it was working with the authorities to find out how the marijuana was added to its products. "This is a live issue and we are working closely with the Dutch authorities to support their investigation and establish the facts," said Haribo's vice president of marketing, Patrick Tax. "The safety of our consumers is our highest priority, and Haribo takes this incident very seriously." This is not the first instance when drugs have been found in children's sweets. In 2023, six children got sick in The Hague after eating candy containing THC, one of the active ingredients in cannabis. As per police officials, drug smugglers are increasingly using candies as a cover to move their product and lacing them with THC and other compounds.
