The Haribo confectionery company is recalling sweets in Belgium because consumption may lead to health problems; the batch number is the same as that of the sweets in which cannabis was found in the Netherlands.
It is not clear in which Belgian shops the large packages were sold. Consumers are asked to send the product to the Belgian head office.
The recall concerns 1 kg bags of the product 'Happy Cola F!ZZ', with a best-before date of January 2026. Haribo reports in a joint statement with the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) that consumption can lead to health problems such as dizziness.
These bags have exactly the same production code (L341-4002307906) as those recalled in the Netherlands due to the presence of cannabis.
The cannabis was discovered after several people in the Netherlands, both children and adults, became ill after eating the bottle-shaped sweets and reported this to the police.
"How the cannabis ended up in the sweets is still unknown. The police are investigating this further," the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) told the Dutch press agency ANP earlier.
Precautionary measure
In the Netherlands, three bags have been affected so far, but as a precaution, Haribo is recalling its entire stock in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
"The authorities' investigation concerns a limited number of reports and one specific product in the east of the Netherlands. In consultation with the authorities, we have launched a preventive recall as a precautionary measure," said Patrick Tax, marketing manager for Haribo Netherlands and Belgium.
According to the FASFC, no reports have yet been received in Belgium of people becoming ill after eating the sweets. People who have consumed them are advised to contact their doctor immediately.
Haribo asks Belgian consumers who have the product at home not to return it to the shop, but to send it, including the packaging, to the Belgian head office: HARIBO Belgium bv, Duffelsesteenweg 233, 2550 Kontich.
They are asked to include their details and bank account number so that they can be reimbursed.
