Candy seized in Copenhagen unfit for human consumption, says food authority

Practice of repackaging sweets becoming more commonplace

The food authority, Fødevarestyrelsen, has launched an investigation following the confiscation of 30 tonnes of expired candy from a basement warehouse on Carl Jacobsens Vej in Valby.

The authority is warning people to be vigilant when buying candy – particularly on the black market – as it may be harmful to eat.

The seizure follows a similar one six weeks ago in which the Ministry of Food confiscated 100 tonnes of food products, including candy.

Lack of hygiene
“Unfortunately it occurs rather frequently that we find warehouses like these where candy is being stored and handled in a way that makes it unfit for human consumption,“ Søren Jensen from Fødevarestyrelsen.

“The young people repacking the candy did not have access to hand washing facilities and bacteria such as E coli could have been transferred onto the sweets.”

The facilities were deemed extremely unhygienic. The only toilet facilities were an empty bucket.

Impossible to track
Fødevarestyrelsen advises people not to buy the candy, but so far it has not been able to trace the stores that have bought the sweets due to missing invoices and paperwork.

In collaboration with Inland Revenue, Fødevarestyrelsen has recently increased its focus on unregistered and illegal candy stores and warehouses following issues with registration, handling and missing fee payments.