Illegal sweets with banned ingredients are flooding UK high streets after being plugged by TikTokers, warn experts

ILLEGAL sweets laced with banned ingredients are finding their way into the hands of Brits, experts have warned.

The items contain prohibited additives which have been linked to behavioural issues and forms of cancer.

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Local councils say the sweets are “flooding UK high streets”, while the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) have pointed the finger at influencers on TikTok for encouraging teens and children to consume them.

The item’s banned ingredients include brominated vegetable oil (BVO), mineral oil, bleached flour, and additives including Sunset yellow FCF, Allura red, and Tartrazine.

Popular goods such as Swedish Fish, Jolly Rancher Hard Candy and Fanta Pineapple are reported to include the additives.

Sunny D, Prime Hydration and Cheetos Crunchy also include the banned ingredients.

The regulator warned that “millions” of sweets are being imported into the country.

Some convenience stores on the high street are taking advantage of the sinister treat’s popularity by selling them behind the counter.

A number of local councils, including Staffordshire County Council and Manchester City Council, have already swooped in and seized around 4,000 products respectively.

“We’re working hard to protect consumers by removing these products from local shops and educating shopkeepers about the dangers,” a spokesperson from the latter said.

“If you see a product with one of the banned ingredients, please report it.”

Manchester City council workers are also urging consumers to exercise caution when picking up convenience store items.

The Manchester warning reads: “The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has issued a warning that imported sweets and fizzy drinks with known links to hyperactivity and cancer have flooded the UK. 

“Here in Manchester we’re taking this very seriously, and the Council’s Environmental Health team are seizing illegal products from local shops. We’re also urging you not to buy these products for children. 

“We’re working hard to protect consumers by removing these products from local shops and educating shopkeepers about the dangers. If you see a product with one of the banned ingredients, please report it to [email protected].”

CTSI CEO John Herriman added: “The UK prides itself on high food standards but this very much relies on trading standards ensuring that what is on sale complies with the law.

“Trading standards work extremely hard to protect the public by removing dangerous products from sale, but the popularity of these items is being increased by videos on social media platforms, such as TikTok.”

He added: “The increase in demand means importers are sending these through our ports and borders in the millions, and these are then being widely distributed and ending up in retail stores and in the hands of children.”

Herriman went on to call on parents to do their part to ensure their kids are not falling prey to the illicit items.

“We also urge parents to be aware,” he said.

“If shop owners are unsure of what items are safe to sell, they should contact their local trading standards service for support and advice.”

The Sun Online has approached TikTok for comment.

How to spot illegal snacks in the UK

Additives are only allowed in the UK if they have been tested and proved to be safe for the intended use in a particular type of food or drink or if there is a technological need for use.

A US product that hasn’t been approved would list nutritional information as ‘Nutrition Facts’ and carry an American company name and address.

If it was legal in the UK, it would list a UK subsidiary of that company and often would include further UK-compliant labelling placed over the original information in the form of a sticker.

Another way for people to check whether goods are American imports is to look at how weight is recorded. 

In the UK, grams and millilitres are used while in America, it is fluid ounce and ounce.

Julie Richardson, lead food officer for Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said in a statement: “Increasingly we are seeing products banned in the UK on sale.

“If you see confectionery which you are unfamiliar with it may be imported so we advise you to read the label first to see if it contains one of the additives listed.

“We ask retailers to urgently remove items from sale that contain unauthorised ingredients.”