Haribo has recalled its popular Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets in the Netherlands after traces of cannabis were found. Dutch authorities confirm several people fell ill after consuming the product.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said it began investigating after several people, including children, felt sick after eating candy from 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) bags of Haribo Happy Cola F!ZZ.
Tests confirmed cannabis was in the candy, and the Dutch police are now trying to find out how the contamination happened.
In a separate case, Jamaican Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams, posted a photo showing cannabis-laced candy that led to 60 primary school children being hospitalized.
Related incident: In Jamaica, dozens of children were sent to the hospital after eating candy with cannabis inside.
The NVWA said, “How the cannabis ended up in the sweets is still unknown.” CNN has reached out to Dutch police for more details.
In a statement through the NVWA, Haribo announced a recall of candy bags with a best-before date of January 2026 and urged consumers: “Do not eat this candy.”
The company added that only three bags were confirmed contaminated, but it is recalling the entire batch as a precaution.
According to Haribo, the recall is limited to one specific product and batch sold in the Netherlands. Other Haribo products in other countries are safe and not affected.
The German candy maker said it is “working closely with authorities” to help the investigation and uncover the cause of the cannabis contamination.
More Candy Contamination Cases Worldwide
- In 2023, over 60 schoolchildren in Jamaica were hospitalized after eating cannabis-laced sweets.
- That same year, two people in Virginia, USA, were arrested when seven elementary students ate gummy bears from a bag that had fentanyl residue.
- In 2019, Pennsylvania police warned parents after finding THC-laced edibles designed to look like Nerds Rope candies.
The candy company Haribo has recalled a batch of cola-flavored candy in the Netherlands after authorities said some people got sick from eating cannabis-contaminated sweets.
The issue was found in three bags of Haribo’s Happy Cola F!ZZ, according to a warning from the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority. They said eating these sweets could cause health problems like dizziness. Their advice was clear: “Do not eat the sweets.”
Several people, including children, became sick after eating the cola bottle-shaped candies. The sweets were consumed by a family in the Twente region, in eastern Netherlands. The Dutch police said the candies had a serious effect, especially on young kids.
A test confirmed that cannabis was found in the candy, said Saïda Ahyad, a spokeswoman for the food safety authority. It is still unknown how the cannabis got into the sweets. The police are continuing the investigation.
The Dutch police did not say how many people ate the contaminated candy, stating that it was too early to give more details.
Haribo, a company started in Germany in 1920, is famous for its gummy bears. Today, it sells different types of gummy candies in over 120 countries.
On its Dutch website, Haribo said it is recalling the entire batch as a safety measure, even though only three bags were found with cannabis. The recall applies to 1-kilogram Happy Cola F!ZZ bags sold in the Netherlands, with a best-before date of January 2026.
Customers who bought these bags can return them by mail and get a refund. Haribo also confirmed that other Haribo candies are safe to eat.
A Haribo spokeswoman said they are taking this issue very seriously.
“This is an ongoing case,” she said. “Haribo is working closely with Dutch authorities to support the investigation and find out how the contamination happened.”
Cannabis in food is not always easy to detect. In countries where marijuana is legal, some cannabis edibles even look like normal candy, which raises concerns about accidental consumption.
Recently, there has been an increase in children accidentally eating cannabis. In August 2023, six kids in the Netherlands (aged 4 to 15) were hospitalized after eating THC-laced sweets. The police said the kids found the sweets at home.