Haribo sweets recalled after traces of cannabis leave several ill
A recall has been placed on Haribo Happy Cola F!ZZ gummies after cannabis was allegedly found in samples.
The warning was issued by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) on May 29th 2025, with consumers warned against buying the 1kg packs of cola bottle sweets in particular.
"The police reported this to the NVWA after several people, both children and adults, became ill after eating the cola bottles,” NVWA spokesperson Saida Ahyad told Deutsche Welle.
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The NVWA immediately contacted Haribo after ‘samples were taken…and cannabis was found in them’.
On its website, the agency said: "There are bags in circulation with sweets that can lead to health complaints, such as dizziness, when consumed."
The recall's details read: “Haribo warns of kilo bags of HARIBO Happy Cola F!ZZ with best-before date (BBD) January 2026.
"There are bags in circulation with sweets that can lead to health complaints, such as dizziness, when consumed.
“So far it concerns 3 bags, but as a precaution Haribo is recalling the stock in question. Do not eat the sweets.”
Affected gummies have the product code ‘L341-4002307906’ with a best before date of January 2026.
Anyone who’s purchased a bag has been instructed to contact Haribo for a refund rather than the retailer from which it was bought.
While Haribo told the BBC it’s working with police ‘to establish the facts around the contamination’, and it’s unknown how many bags may be contaminated.
Haribo has said Happy Cola F!ZZ gummies with different production codes are clean and safe to eat, along with all of its other products.
The recall also only applies to Happy Cola F!ZZ gummies sold in the Netherlands, with Haribo’s other regions being unaffected.
Some people have reportedly suffered ‘dizziness’ after consuming the affected gummies, but it’s unclear how many people have encountered issues with them.
Despite Haribo’s assurances that its other regions are unaffected, regulators in Hong Kong have issued a recall there to be on the safe side.
“There have been no reports of discomfort among residents in Hong Kong from consuming the cola-flavoured gummies,” said a statement from Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety.
“However, in response to foreign reports and as a precautionary measure, the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has assisted in notifying the industry to temporarily remove the brand’s gummies from shelves.”
Imports to Taiwan have also been suspended.
A spokesperson from HARIBO UK told FOODBible: "The incident is contained to the Netherlands, to a specific product and batch. HARIBO products in the UK are not affected. The safety of our consumers is our highest priority and HARIBO takes this incident very seriously, which is why a recall has been issued in the Netherlands. HARIBO is working closely with the authorities to support their investigation and establish the facts around the contamination."
Rachael Davis