Great sweets... and wonderful. However, Haribo withdrew its Happy Cola Fizz brand of candy from the market in the Netherlands this Thursday after traces of cannabis were found in some packages and several people, including children, fell ill.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said only 3 bags of Haribo "Happy Cola Fizz" sweets were affected by the contamination, but a general recall of the range had been initiated as a precaution.
"There are bags in circulation that may contain sweets that can cause health problems, such as dizziness, when consumed," the authority said in a statement. The spokeswoman said the contaminated sweets were those in the shape of Cola bottles.
Authorities were notified after several children and adults who had eaten the candy fell ill. Saida Ahyad said police were investigating how the cannabis ended up in the candy bags. “After consulting with the NVWA and as is customary in such situations, Haribo has issued a safety warning,” said Saida Ahyad, urging people not to consume the candy.
For his part, Patrick Tax, vice president of marketing for the German company, assured that the product recall concerned "a limited number of cases" and a single type of product in the east of the country.
"The safety of our consumers is our top priority and Haribo takes this incident very seriously," he said in a statement to AFP. "This is a matter of ongoing investigation and we are working closely with the Dutch authorities to support their investigation and determine the facts that led to the contamination," he added.