Haribo recalls popular sweets after family falls ill from cannabis-laced candy

Haribo has recalled packets of sweets alleged to have contained cannabis after several members of the same family fell ill.

The Happy Cola F!ZZ packets were recalled after the family members in the Netherlands became unwell, reporting dizziness before they alerted the police.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) later told Dutch news outlet Hart van Nederland that cannabis samples had been found inside the candy.

It is unclear how many packets have been affected, with three reported so far - but Haribo has recalled the entire batch in the Netherlands as a precaution. All other Haribo products are still safe to consume, the NVWA said.

A Haribo company spokesperson said: “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.”

The NVWA is currently investigating the cause of the illness in alongside Haribo, the authority said in a statement. How the cannabis ended up in the sweets remains unknown.

"Samples were taken and cannabis was found in them," a spokesperson for the NVWA said to Hart van Nederland. "We immediately contacted Haribo and they issued a safety warning."

In its product recall warning, the authority said: “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.”