A New Zealand charity is warning that donated candies included in food parcels distributed to low-income residents were found to contain potentially deadly amounts of methamphetamine.
The Auckland City Mission said Wednesday that staff were alerted Tuesday afternoon by a food parcel recipient that the Rinda brand pineapple candies were "funny tasting." The Mission had remaining candies on site tested by the NZ Drug Foundation, which confirmed they contained "potentially lethal levels of methamphetamine."
The Mission said the candies were donated in a "sealed retail sized package" per their protocols, as they only accept donations of commercially manufactured foods. The charity said they contacted police to investigate.
NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm said in a statement that the candies contained approximately 3 grams of methamphetamine. The organization said people who consumed the candies reported a bitter taste and feeling unusual.
“A common dose to swallow is between 10–25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses. Swallowing that much methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and could result in death," Helm said.
“We don’t know how widespread these contaminated lollies are, so we recommend not eating any Rinda brand pineapple lollies if you have them," she said.
The company that manufactured the candies, based in Malaysia, said it was cooperating with the investigation.
“We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” General Manager Steven Teh said in a statement.
NZ Drug Foundation spokesperson Ben Birks Ang told the Associated Press that the street value of the drugs in each candy is 1,000 New Zealand dollars ($608), and they were likely never meant to be donated. Instead, it may be a case of a botched smuggling attempt.
The Auckland City Mission said it has begun contacting possible recipients of the candies to warn them of the danger, and put up posters at all of their sites to alert the community.
"To say we are devastated is an understatement," the Mission said. "We are reliant on the generosity of the public to help support people in need, and we are thankful to everyone who supports us."
-With TMX
