Sweet treat turns sour as tainted gummies cause dizziness; entire stock recalled in precautionary move.
A seemingly innocent bag of candy turned into an unexpected high for some consumers in the Netherlands, after several people reported falling ill from eating Haribo’s popular cola-flavored gummies—later found to be laced with cannabis.
German confectionery giant Haribo has launched a full recall of its Happy Cola F!ZZ sweets in the Netherlands, following an investigation by Dutch food safety authorities (NVWA). Lab tests confirmed traces of cannabis in at least three packs from a single batch, prompting warnings from officials and urgent action from the company.
“Do not eat the sweets,” the NVWA said in a stark message to consumers. The agency also confirmed multiple individuals, including members of the same family, experienced symptoms such as dizziness shortly after eating the gummies.
Though the contamination appears limited to one batch sold in the Netherlands, Haribo is taking no chances. All stock of the cola-flavored gummies with a best-before date of January 2026 has been pulled from Dutch store shelves.
The company is offering full refunds for returned products and is cooperating closely with police to determine how the cannabis got into the candies. Haribo stressed that no other products in its lineup have been affected.
“The safety of our consumers is our highest priority,” the company said in a statement, adding that the situation is being treated with the utmost seriousness.
So far, the contamination has not been linked to Haribo’s operations in other countries, including the US. Authorities have not disclosed the number of people impacted, but investigations are ongoing.
