Thousands of potentially deadly jelly cups that pose a choking hazard to young children seized during raids
Thousands of illegal and potentially deadly jelly cups posing a choking hazard to young children have been seized during raids in western Sydney.
Fair Trading detectives have seized more than 11,300 mini jelly cups during raids on warehouses in Banksmeadow, Wetherill Park and Wentworth Point.
The sale and import of jelly cups has been illegal for over 20 years because they contain a binding agent called konjac, which poses a potential choking hazard.
Konjac, which is illegal in Australia when used in a product smaller than 4.5cm long or wide, was banned after the death of a three-year-old boy in Sydney.
“The binding agent that holds the jelly together does not dissolve when put into a person’s mouth, so it acts as a plug and blocks the airway,” said David Byrne of Customer Service NSW. 9News.
‘It poses a significant risk of death because so many people were at Leichhardt Oval last night watching the football match.’
The raids came after a customer spotted a mini jelly cup containing konjac on the shelf of a store in Banksmeadow and alerted authorities.
New South Wales police said a large shipment had been imported from overseas and distributed to stores in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Fair Trading detectives have seized more than 11,300 mini jelly cups during raids on warehouses in Banksmeadow, Wetherill Park and Wentworth Point (pictured)
The sale and import of the jelly cups has been illegal for more than 20 years because they use a binding agent called konjac (pictured, investigators are seen during the raids in western Sydney).
The goods have since been destroyed and the stores face a possible $50 million fine if caught selling the product.
Investigations will also be conducted into those responsible for importing the jelly cups.
Fair Trading researcher Pablo Rojas said if people come across the product, the safest thing to do is to “throw it away immediately”.