New Zealand Charity Accidentally Distributes Candy Containing 'Potentially Lethal' Amounts of Meth

The Auckland City Mission, which works with homeless people, said the candies were donated by an unknown member of the public

A New Zealand charity that works with homeless people in Auckland unknowingly distributed candy containing potentially lethal levels of methamphetamine in its food parcels.

The Auckland City Mission announced on Aug. 14 that the charity was notified from several people that the candies, which were donated by an unknown member of the public, were “funny tasting.” Those who consumed the sweets reported “a bitter taste and feeling unusual.”

For safety measures, the white pineapple candies — labeled with the Malaysian brand Rinda — were sent to the NZ Drug Foundation for testing. Tests later confirmed that the candies contained approximately 3 grams of meth.

“A common dose to swallow is between 10-25mg, so this contaminated lolly contained up to 300 doses,” executive director Sarah Helm said in a statement. “Swallowing that much methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and could result in death.”

The Auckland City Mission is working to contact those who received the food parcels and the police have since launched an investigation.

“To say we are devastated is an understatement,” the charity said in a release. “We are reliant on the generosity of the public to help support people in need, and we are thankful to everyone who supports us.”

“Our immediate priority is safety of people we support,” the statement continued. “In time we will conduct an internal investigation to understand if our processes can be improved.”

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Glenn Baldwin, a detective on the case, said that 29 candies have been recovered so far but it's unclear how many were circling, the Associated Press reported.

One staff member was reportedly hospitalized after consuming the treats. Baldwin said a child and a “young person” were also hospitalized and later discharged.

Rinda said in a statement that the company learned through news reports that its candies “may have been misused,” insisting that they would cooperate with authorities.

“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, per the AP.

The NZ Drug Foundation warned that symptoms after consuming the candy include chest pain, racing heart, seizures, hyperthermia, delirium and loss of consciousness. Anyone who has eaten one and feels unwell is urged to seek medical attention immediately.

“We don’t know how widespread these contaminated lollies are, so we recommend not eating any Rinda brand pineapple lollies if you have them,” Helm said.

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