A POPULAR sweet product has been urgently pulled from shelves over a chemical that’s “unsafe to eat”.
The Food Standards Agency has released an alert on January 16 to all businesses and customers who purchased the candies.
All Jolly Rancher products have been deemed unsafe to eat after they were found to contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH).
As a recognised genotoxic carcinogen, MOAH may be dangerous, especially if taken often over an extended period of time.
It poses a health risk to humans, and can increase a chance of cancer and damage DNA.
However, the FSA reassured consumers that the food safety risk is low and there is no immediate cause for concern.
Customers are advised to not eat the sweets and dispose of them at home.
If you have any concerns, let your local authority’s Trading Standards or Environmental Health departments know.
The affected products include all flavours of Jolly Rancher hard candy, Misfits’ Gummies, Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, Berry Gummies, Filled Pops, and Freeze Dried Candy.
The product’s owner, the Hershey Company, has taken steps to pull these goods off the UK market.
The firm halted the supply of Jolly Ranchers to the UK market in 2024 and removed dangerous products.
However, other food companies continue to import and supply the sweets to British customers.
They have been warned to stop sales, withdraw goods, and conduct product recalls where retail sales have taken place.
In order to safeguard consumers, the FSA asked UK enforcement agencies to take action to take items off the market.
