An urgent warning has been issued over a series of dangerous American sweets ‘flooding the UK’ which contain chemicals linked to cancer, heart problems and kidney damage.
A number of sweets and fizzy drinks imported from the US contain chemicals banned in the UK, according to an investigation by the consumer protection watchdog, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).
The findings have prompted an urgent alert from Manchester City Council, who have warned the banned and illegal additives can cause hyperactivity, behavioural problems, cancer kidney and other organ damage and heart problems.
Some of the banned ingredients can also make an insulin response less effective, cause vomiting and diarrhoea, headaches, dizziness and copper deficiency.
The banned products include Jolly Rancher Hard Candy, Fanta Pineapple, Mtn Dew, Swedish Fish, Prime Hydration, Cheetos Crunchy and Twizzlers Strawberry Twists and Rainbow Twists.
Anyone buying the products listed should look out for ingredients to check if the product is safe to consume and meets the UK guidelines.
The full list of banned products includes:
- Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
- Twizzlers Rainbow Twists
- Fanta Pineapple
- Hostess Twinkies
- Jolly Rancher Gummies Original Chewy Lemonhead
- Mountain Dew
- Hostess Golden Cupcakes
- Jolly Rancher Lollipops
- Lemonhead Original Candy
- Mirinda Soda
- Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
- Swedish Fish
- Hot Tamales
- Sunny D
- Prime Hydration
- Swedish Fish mini Tropical
- Cheetos Crunchy
- Sunny D Orange Strawberry
- Van Holten’s pickles
- Twizzlers Strawberry Twists
- Takis Blue Heat
Some of the listed products were found to contain the additive ‘Yellow 6’ — a synthetic food dye restricted in Britain.
In the UK, products containing this substance, also called ‘sunset yellow’ or ‘E110’, must carry a disclaimer stating the products can cause hyperactivity in children.
Another concerning chemical found was the preservative EDTA, which is found in the US version of Mountain Dew, but banned entirely in fizzy drinks in the UK.
Also called calcium disodium, studies of this compound have revealed links to fertility problems as well as the development of colon cancers.
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].’
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