April 07, 2020 - 11:18 AM
SALT LAKE CITY - Candy infused with the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that sickened Utah children after it was donated to a food bank was a counterfeit version of a Nerds product, the company said Tuesday.
Police said the candy containing THC had packaging similar to Nerds Ropes, with the addition of the word “medicated.” But that product is not associated with Ferrara Candy Co., the maker of real Nerds, the company said in a statement.
Candy donated by the company or found in stores around the country is safe to consume, officials said. Ferrara is co-operating with the police investigation of the bogus candy.
Authorities have said two children have been released from a hospital and are expected to make a full recovery after eating the candy that was in donated bags of food.
Dozens of families picked up the bags Friday at a Baptist church in Roy, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of Salt Lake City, KUTV reported.
Utah Food Bank staffers were horrified to learn what happened and said they were putting new processes into place to prevent anything similar from happening again, President and CEO Ginette Bott said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020