Indiana health officials have found no unusual chemical substances in packages of Original Skittles sold at a Richmond, IN, Marathon Food Mart. Possible contamination of two lots of Original Skittles was determined when field testing showed preliminary chemical results on March 5. These results are unsubstantiated as no toxins were found in the candy. The tests were prompted by the sudden illness of two people who ate from a package of Skittles on the afternoon of March 4. The individuals visited Reid Hospital and were treated for burning throats, cramping and diarrhea and have been released from the hospital. As a precaution to protect public safety, the Indiana State Department of Health issued a warning yesterday, based on test results conducted with equipment available in the field. It is not uncommon for equipment available in the field to yield results that are found to be different than those obtained in a laboratory test, which is why lab tests are conducted for confirmation. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Food and Drug Administration were investigating whether someone tampered with the package and authorities initially warned those with a bag of Skittles with the lot numbers 08JUL14 023 or 01DEC14 023 not to eat the candy and to contact the Indiana State police. Now that advanced testing has determined no presence of unusual chemical substances, the state police are closing the investigation. There is no further need to collect samples of Skittles purchased from the Marathon Food Mart. “The safety of our consumers and the quality of our products are our top priorities,” said Wrigley spokesperson Denise Young. “We commend the Indiana State Department of Health for their swift and thorough investigation into this issue.” (Editor’s note: The headline of a previous version of this article stated that specific packages of Skittles had been recalled. This was incorrect, and Food Safety News regrets the error.)
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
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