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Two children in Utah have been hospitalized after eating THC-tainted candy that were unknowingly given out at a local food bank that has seen an increase in donations amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Dozens of families in Roy, Utah received food from the Utah Food Bank, including “Medicated Nerds Rope” candy. Sixty-three bags containing the contaminated candy were given to families at the Roy Baptist Church distribution point, FOX13 reported.
So far, an 11-year-old girl and a 5-year-old have been hospitalized at Primary Children’s Medical Center. At least three other children ate the candy, officials said.
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“These packages look exactly like regular Nerds Ropes, so it is almost impossible to detect the difference unless you look for it specifically,” the Utah Food Bank said in a statement.
Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginette Bott said that there has been an increase in donations because of the coronavirus outbreak. Due to the need, donations have been sent out as fast as they have been received.
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“We are absolutely horrified that this product went out to any of our partner agencies, and can easily see how volunteers would not have known what to look for,” Bott said.
“We apologize to any families who may have received this product and are changing our processes involving such donations immediately to avoid this happening again.”
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The candy has been removed from additional bags of food that had been packed but not distributed yet.
Ferrara Candy Co., the parent company of Nerds, issued a statement to assure consumers that the contaminated product was counterfeit.
“We want to reassure consumers that Nerds products donated directly by the company … are safe to consume,” the company said in a statement.
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Police ask anyone who received food from the church Friday morning to check for the candy and to contact them at (801) 629-8221 to have an officer collect it.