Four varieties of Jolly Rancher branded products manufactured by The Hershey Company have been found to contain Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) and Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH) making them unsafe to eat.
This includes all pack sizes, batch codes and dates of Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Jolly Rancher ‘Misfits’ Gummies, Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1 and Jolly Ranchers Berry Gummies.
Any firms selling these products have been told to immediately stop sales, undertake product withdrawals and announce product recalls.
The Hershey Company has taken action to remove these products from the UK market and is working collaboratively with the FSA.
The manufacturer took proactive action to remove non-compliant and unsafe products from UK markets in 2024, but businesses have continued to import non-compliant products to the UK market. The FSA has therefore requested enforcing authorities in the UK to take action to remove products and protect consumers.
Consumers have also been advised not to eat the products. Those that have consumed the named products should have no immediate cause for concern as food safety risk is low, with the mineral oils contained tending to only pose a risk if consumed regularly over a sustained period of time.
Anyone that has purchased one of the products dispose of them at home and if they are concerned, can notify the Trading Standards department or environmental health department in the local authority where it was purchased.
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 them regularly.
MOAH can cause damage to DNA and has the potential to increase the risk of cancer, while MOAH is a genotoxic carcinogen, therefore no exposure is without risk to human health.
