Haribo candies contaminated with cannabis in the Netherlands?

German confectionery giant Haribo has recalled a batch of its famous jelly sweets Happy Cola F!ZZ at Netherlands after several people, including children, fell ill.

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has confirmed the presence of cannabis in samples taken from three contaminated sachets. The incident, which took place in the Twente region, triggered an immediate response from the health authorities and the company.

The family who consumed the sweets experienced «disturbances such as dizziness». The effects were more pronounced in the young children, This led to hospital admissions and a police investigation.

Although only three contaminated bags have been identified, Haribo has decided to recall the whole batch as a precautionary measure.

The product in question is a bag of 1 kg Happy Cola F!ZZ whose expiry date is January 2026, sold in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Haribo has clarified that all other products, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere, are safe to eat.

«The incident is limited to the Netherlands, to a specific product and batch,» said a Haribo spokesperson, before the recall was also issued in Belgium and Luxembourg, the recalled batch numbers being the same. No cases of illness have been reported in the latter two countries.

Despite the limited extent of the contamination, this situation raises questions about the supply chain security and the’product integrity the brand

«Haribo is working closely with the Dutch authorities to assist them in their investigation and establish the facts regarding the contamination,» the company said on its Dutch website.

Authorities and consumers on alert

The NVWA has confirmed that the samples taken from the candy bags were positive for THC.

«We still don't know how the cannabis got into the candy,» said the NVWA spokeswoman, Saïda Ahyad. «The police are investigating this matter further.»

The Dutch police did not disclose the total number of people affected, but said the contamination «had a considerable impact», particularly on children. For the time being, the authorities are endeavouring to trace the source of the contamination and determine whether it was an accident or a malicious act.

In another context, many urban legends circulating around Halloween, with «citizen alerts» about cannabis-infused sweets distributed to children.

How could this happen?

The circumstances surrounding the contamination remain unknown at the time of writing.

In the food industry, cross-contamination is usually associated with allergens or pathogens, not with controlled substances like cannabis, let alone with detectable levels of THC in a food factory.

Several scenarios are possible. One of them is a accidental contamination during production, This may be due to shared facilities or lax control in some part of the supply chain.

Another possibility is a intentional alteration, although there is currently no evidence to support this theory. The fact that only three bags were contaminated could suggest an isolated failure rather than systemic negligence.

A final possibility is a false-positive for THC on initial testing.