Haribo recalls sweets in Netherlands after traces of cannabis found

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Popular candy maker Haribo has reportedly issued a major recall of its Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets following reports that traces of marijuana were detected in the snack.

According to reports, 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 shared, with a full recall being 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.

Authorities became aware of the reported contamination after a couple from the Twente region, in the east of the country, had brought in the product after their young children had become “quite sick” after eating the product, Dutch Police said in a statement. Forensic testing later established the presence of cannabis substance, as per the Guardian.

Commenting on the reports, Vice-President of Marketing at Haribo, Patrick Tax, 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.”

They’re have yet to be any reports of the contamination in other markets.