Health chiefs beg Brits not to eat £1 ‘Cali-Gold’ chocolate bars after several people – including five children – fall ill from buying them at a Christmas market
- Cali Gold 70 percent dark chocolate bars were sold at the Nottinghamshire market
- The food safety watchdog urged people not to eat it and instead throw it in the bin
Health chiefs today urged Britons not to eat a chocolate bar after a raft of people who bought a chocolate bar fell ill.
Cali Gold 70 percent dark chocolate bars, wrapped in gold foil and in an orange box, were sold at a Christmas market in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on Saturday.
Police confirmed yesterday that a man had been arrested after at least five children and several adults began feeling unwell after eating the snack and were taken to hospital.
Reports circulated online that the bars – which were sold as five for £1 – were laced with opioids, but officers said there is ‘no evidence to support these rumours’.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a ‘do not eat’ warning, advising anyone who has purchased the bar to throw the bar in the bin and seek ‘urgent’ medical attention if they have already eaten the chocolate bar has eaten and feels unwell.
Cali Gold 70 percent dark chocolate bars – wrapped in gold foil and in an orange box – were sold at Mansfield Market in Nottinghamshire on Saturday
Nottinghamshire Police said anyone who had bought chocolate (pictured) or who recognized the packaging should not eat it but should call police immediately
The bars were sold at a city center market on Saturday as ‘five for one £1 mystery chocolate bars’. Pictured, stock image of Mansfield Market Place
Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, 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 throw it away at home.
‘If you have already eaten it and develop symptoms, you should seek urgent medical attention.’
Police have arrested one person in connection with the incident.
The bars were sold at a city center market on Saturday as ‘five for one £1 mystery chocolate bars’, ahead of the Christmas lights switch the following day.
One man said his cousin was rushed to A&E after eating one of the bars after feeling ‘left out’.
Others said their children started feeling unwell within 20 minutes of eating the chocolate.
Nottinghamshire Police said anyone who had bought chocolate or recognized the packaging should not eat it but should call police immediately.
It said anyone who had already eaten it and felt unwell should seek medical attention.
Police said the investigation was ongoing but there was “no evidence” to suggest they had been laced with opioids.
Detective Inspector Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘We are aware of reports circulating online of people unknowingly buying chocolate laced with drugs from the Mansfield area this weekend.
‘At this time there is no evidence to support these rumors.
‘An investigation is currently underway into the circumstances that cause people to feel unwell after consuming this chocolate.’