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Food & drink United Kingdom Food alert for action

Update 1 Food Alert "For Action": To: Consumers who have purchased and Food Businesses who have purchased and sold Jolly Rancher products manufactured by The Hershey Company

Jolly Rancher products sold in the UK — including Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Jolly Rancher ‘Misfits’ Gummies, Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, Jolly Rancher Berry Gummies, Jolly Rancher Filled Pops and Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried Candy (all flavours, all pack sizes, all batch codes and all best-before dates) — are affected. They were recalled because they contain mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), a genotoxic carcinogen that may pose a safety risk, especially with regular or high consumption. If you have bought any of these products, do not eat them; dispose of them at home and, if concerned, notify your local Trading Standards or Environmental Health department.

What's being recalled

Two additional products have been included in Update 1. These products are Jolly Rancher Filled Pops and Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried Candy. This Food Alert for Action replaces earlier versions of FSA-FAFA-02-2025.

Jolly Rancher products listed below contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons, (MOAH), making them unsafe to eat.

Food businesses who import these products are advised to discontinue import and distribution of products.

Food businesses selling these products in the UK are advised to immediately stop sales, undertake product withdrawals and, where there have been retail sales, to undertake product recalls. The Hershey Company, who is the brand owner, has taken action to remove these products from the UK market.

The Hershey Company has continued to work collaboratively with the FSA, and despite their proactive action to remove unsafe products from UK markets in 2024, and their subsequent decision not to supply the UK market going forward, other businesses continue to import and supply the products to the UK market. The FSA therefore requested enforcing authorities in the UK to take action to remove products from the market to protect consumers.

Whilst there is no immediate cause for concern for consumers that have eaten these products, as the food safety risk is low, MOAH is a known genotoxic carcinogen and may pose a safety risk - particularly if consumed regularly, over a sustained period.

How to identify it

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (all flavours), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

Jolly Rancher ‘Misfits’ Gummies (all flavours), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1 (all flavours), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

Jolly Rancher Berry Gummies (Berry flavour), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

Jolly Rancher Filled Pops (all flavours), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

Jolly Rancher Freeze Dried Candy (all flavours), All pack sizes; Batch: All batch codes; Best before: All dates

The hazard

Although the levels consumers are exposed to are likely to be low, they may present a risk to health because they contain MOAH. Consumption of the affected sweets is of toxicological concern, especially in younger age groups and where consumers eat a lot of the products or eat it regularly.

MOAH can cause damage to DNA and has the potential to increase the risk of cancer, particularly if consumed in high quantities over a prolonged period of time. MOAH is a genotoxic carcinogen, therefore no exposure is without risk to human health.

What to do

If you have bought any of the above products, do not eat them. Instead, dispose of them at home. If you are concerned, notify your Trading Standards department or Environmental Health department in the Local Authority for the area in which you purchased the products.

We are asking enforcement authorities to ensure that businesses who may have been supplied with or received the affected products take action to ensure that unsafe products are withdrawn from the market and, where sold at retail, recalled. We are also asking the Local Authorities to inform the FSA of product recall and withdrawal actions.

The official notice

This page is a summary of the notice published by Food Standards Agency, collected from Food Standards Agency. Check the original before you act on it.

Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)

A little guidance

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