Council warns over 'illegal' Jolly Ranchers sold in Staffordshire shops as cancer links announced - see which products are listed as 'dangerous' below
Trading Standards officers in Staffordshire have advised people to be wary of banned sweets containing 'unauthorised and harmful' ingredients.
Trading Standards officers in Staffordshire have been seizing 'illegal' Jolly Rancher products that have shown to contain harmful products.
The reminder follows a warning by the Food Standards Agency (FDA) about two Jolly Rancher products that have failed to meet UK safety and legal standards.
Trading Standards said that various Jolly Ranchers products contain an unauthorised mineral oil, which is banned in the UK, and linked to an increased risk of cancer, and can pose a serious risk to health if consumed over a long period of time.
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Consumers were warned that they should check labelling on the products carefully, with items with original labelling, giving American weight measurements (ounces, fluid ounces), being imports, with some products containing illegal additives or colours.
Anthony Screen, cabinet member for community safety and resilience at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Food safety is an important area of work for our Trading Standards officers, and that includes removing harmful products from the market.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in the availability of American-style candy, mainly driven by social media and online influencers. While much of this is perfectly legal, we are finding increasing numbers of illegal products that contain banned and harmful ingredients.
“Our advice is to check labels carefully before making a purchase and to report any suspicious or non-compliant items."
The products subject to the food alerts are listed below:
Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (all flavours)
Jolly Ranchers ‘Misfits’ Gummies (all flavours)
Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1 (all flavours)
Jolly Rancher Berry Gummies (only Berry flavour)
Jolly Rancher Filled Pops (all flavours)
Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried candy (all flavours).
Anyone who wants to report dangerous products being sold in Staffordshire is asked to do so by contacting Trading Standards Confidential on 01785 330356 or online at the Trading Standards Report It website.
