Environmental health officers visited 30 premises and removed 4467 individual items with a street value of approximately £6,000 from small retail shops and wholesalers.
Many of the brightly coloured sweets and drinks imported from the US are not compliant with UK food law and can damage consumers’ health.
Increasing amounts of these illicit American products are being seized by enforcement officers across the country. They are not to be confused with candy products that are UK compliant and sold legitimately by supermarkets and other law-abiding retailers.
The Newcastle haul largely consisted of Jolly Ranchers and Lemonheads (containing mineral oil) and Starry, Kool Aid, Mountain Dew, Mirinda orange and Sunny D which all contain Calcium Disodium EDTA. There were approximately 5,000 cans and bottles of pop.
Some of the issues American candy can cause include hyperactivity, behavioural problems, cancer, kidney and other organ damage, heart problems, making insulin less effective, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, copper deficiency, headaches, dizziness, nutrient deficiencies and reduced immune function.
This recent operation is the first time Newcastle environmental health have seized American candy. The haul will now be destroyed.
Deputy Leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, said: "Protecting the public, especially children, from harm is our top priority. It’s alarming to see sweets and drinks that are clearly unhealthy being targeted at young people.
"Much of their popularity is fuelled by social media, but behind the hype are serious risks. Some of these products have been linked to long-term health conditions, including fertility problems and colon cancer.
“Businesses should take this as a warning: if you’re caught selling harmful products, we will prosecute you."
It is illegal to sell products containing the following ingredients in the UK:
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
E127, Erythrosine (shown on US products as Red 3)
Mineral oil – this carries the risk of contamination with other compounds, which in turn are capable of forming cancers
Bleached flour
The following additives can cause hyperactivity and behavioural problems in children. There should be a warning on the packaging to state this. If there is no warning, it is illegal to sell products containing these ingredients:
Sunset yellow FCF (E110)
Quinoline yellow (E104)
Carmoisine (E122)
Allura red (E129)
Tartrazine (E102)
Ponceau 4R (E124)
The following additives are allowed in food but not in drinks:
Calcium disodium EDTA (E385) - in animal studies it caused adverse reproductive and developmental effects and in mice has been shown to contribute to cancer of the colon
Erythorbic acid (E315