Haribo recalls its sweets in the Netherlands after cannabis found in children’s candies | World News

Haribo has issued an urgent recall of its Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets after alarming reports emerged of several individuals, including children, falling ill. The incident came to light when members of a single family experienced sudden illness after consuming the product and contacted local authorities. Subsequent investigations revealed that the affected sweets may have been contaminated with cannabis. 

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Investigation launched as Haribo recalls contaminated product 

A spokesperson for the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) shared that an investigation is being conducted into the matter. The Dutch food safety authority confirmed that three packs of Haribo Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets were found to be contaminated, prompting the company to recall its entire stock as a precaution, as reported by the BBC. 

NVWA confirmed their involvement in the investigation as a spokesperson sold Hart van Nederland, “Samples were taken and cannabis was found in them. We immediately contacted Haribo and they issued a safety warning.” The authority confirmed, “How the cannabis ended up in the sweets is still unknown. The police are investigating this further,” as reported by GB News.

Previously, Haribo stated that a few products could cause health concerns like dizziness. The company’s spokesperson explained, “The incident is contained to the Netherlands, to a specific product and batch. HARIBO products in the UK are not affected.”

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Will Haribo candy consumers get a refund?

Haribo is urging customers who purchased the affected Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets to send them directly to the company for a refund, rather than returning them to the store. The recall applies specifically to products marked with the production code L341-4002307906. While Haribo has reassured the public that all other products in its range remain safe to consume, the company has not yet disclosed the size or distribution extent of the contaminated batch. 

The affected bags also have a best-before date of January 2026. While the exact number of people who fell ill remains unclear, Dutch media report that police have launched an investigation into how cannabis ended up in the sweets.