Two councils in England seized imported American cereal, candy, crisps, and drinks during operations.

More than 670 items at an Oxford Street candy shop were destroyed after being found by Westminster City Council’s environmental health team.

Products included American cereal, crisps, and fizzy drinks that contained additives, colorings, and e-numbers banned in the UK.

Several chocolate bars were not labeled in English, meaning consumers could not check them for ingredients, shelf life dates, or allergens. Trading standards teams also uncovered Lucky Charms cereal, KitKats, Lion Bars, and a variety of bottled drinks, including Mirinda and Fanta, containing potentially harmful ingredients.

The shop was previously found to be selling Swedish Fish and Hot Tamales sweets, which are banned in the UK due to the impact their additive ingredients can have on children. In the past three months, 2,374 non-compliant products were destroyed from this premises.

Following the seizure, council staff attended Westminster Magistrates Court in October, where the destruction of goods was ordered, and more than £3,000 ($3,900) was awarded.  The business is also required to pay for the destruction.

Leader of Westminster City Council, Adam Hug, said: “We are continuing to make the lives of unscrupulous traders a nightmare through regular enforcement action and putting pressure on landlords. More raids are coming in the next few weeks, so I hope traders who seem happy to sell illegal goods to children are ready for a fright.”

Findings in Staffordshire
In a different operation, trading standards officers at Staffordshire County Council seized illegal foods and drinks from a shop in Leek in October.

Over 750 items of imported American candy and drinks containing unauthorized substances were found.

Products confiscated included Mountain Dew, Dubble Bubble, Jolly Rancher gummies, and hard candy, all with ingredients not allowed in the UK, such as mineral oil, bleached flour, or colorants. Many soft drinks included Calcium disodium EDTA, an authorized additive but not permitted in flavored drinks in the UK.

Another operation saw officers inspecting vehicles for non-compliant foods on some of the county’s major roads. Multiple items of unlabeled meat and foods lacking traceability and believed to be imported were seized.

Victoria Wilson, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Staffordshire County Council, said the council saw more illegal items being sold online.

“Ensing imported food products being sold in stores around Staffordshire are safe and labeled correctly is an important part of our trading standards work. Unfortunately, We have seen fatal consequences for some people where allergens are not declared in food, and the team works hard to ensure that businesses are aware of their obligations regarding food safety and traceability,” she said.

Imported sweets
In August, Worcestershire County Council’s trading standards service advised parents to be aware of unauthorized ingredients in imported American sweets and fizzy drinks. Samples purchased from two shops in Worcester and tested by the public analyst contained unpermitted additives.

One of the outlets has ceased trading and the other shop has been notified of the issues. Officers continue to trace the products back to importers.  

Items included canned and bottled Mountain Dew drinks of many varieties: Mirinda, Sunny D, Hot Tamales, Twizzlers, and Lemonhead. Unauthorized additives included bronated vegetable oil (BVO) and E127, as well as erythrosine (shown on U.S. products as Red 3).

Lisa McNally, director of public health in Worcestershire, said: “It’s quite worrying to see so many products on sale that may contain unauthorized ingredients, especially as they are targeted at children.

“While we know that most foods are safe and most shops operate within the law, it is important that imported food is accurately labeled in English with the allergens declared. We are seeing more and more items sold that do not comply with our requirements through social media websites and internet marketplaces. Our message to shoppers is to always buy from legitimate sources and check product labels carefully before buying.”

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