27 November 2023 , 21:10
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The public has been cautioned to not eat a chocolate bar called Cali-Gold as a person has been arrested in connection with its sales.
It has been reported that more than 10 people in Nottinghamshire have been affected by the chocolate that was allegedly being sold as "mystery bars" at the Mansfield, a town in Nottinghamshire, Christmas markets.
Tina Potter, Head of Incidents, Food Standards Agency's Head of Incidents, Tina Potter, said: "We are working with local authorities, the UK Health Security Agency and Nottinghamshire Police to investigate an incident following reports of illness after eating Cali-Gold chocolate. If you have purchased ‘Cali-Gold’ chocolate from Mansfield Market in Nottinghamshire you should not consume the product and dispose of it at home. If you have already eaten it and developed symptoms, then you should urgently seek medical attention."
Detective Inspector Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are aware of reports circulating online of people unknowingly purchasing chocolate laced with drugs from the Mansfield area over the weekend. At this stage, there is no evidence to support these rumours. An investigation is currently ongoing to establish the circumstances behind people feeling unwell after consuming this chocolate. This incident has been referred to the Food Standards Agency, who will provide a further update in due course. Please rest assured that we take all incidents of public safety extremely seriously and will always investigate any reports we receive of this nature."
One father said online that he, his daughter, his two nephews, his niece and two of his niece's friends had all eaten the chocolate, with it "instantly making" his daughter and niece "feel ill and like they were on drugs". He later said that his nephew had been hospitalised, NottinghamshireLive reported. He also said that since posting online and visiting the hospital, he had been told of multiple other people who had fallen ill after eating the chocolate.
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Two weeks ago, a woman posted a YouTube video explaining that she and her husband had both fallen drastically ill and been admitted to A&E, with the only thing they had both eaten being "organic" chocolate from a gold packet. She said that her husband was hallucinating and acting drunk and that she was delirious, fainting and vomiting.
In August of this year, a mum and dad in Northern Ireland were placed on probation after their child was hospitalised after eating a bar of chocolate laced with cannabis. The 28-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, who can't be named to protect the identity of their son, were made the subject of a three-year probation order after they admitted a charge of wilfully exposing their child to harm.
At the time of the offence, the two-and-a-half-year-old boy was living in a house in west Belfast with his parents, uncle and grandmother. He was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in 2021 after eating a cannabis-infused Wonka chocolate bar located in his uncle's bedroom. During a police interview, the couple admitted previous social service involvement due to the child's uncle's prior drug-taking, the Belfast Telegraph reported. Despite initially denying it, the man and woman later admitted a charge of child cruelty. Saying it was "serious offending to have brought drugs into a house where a child is present", Judge Gilpin said the chocolate bar was "easily accessible" in the uncle's room and was "attractive" to a child as it was "in the form of a chocolate bar."