The Australian and New Zealand health authority warned Thursday against jujubes with “mushrooms” from the Uncle Frog brand, due to at least five cases of hospitalizations recorded after consuming them.
“Disturbing hallucinations”, “drowsiness or loss of consciousness”, “convulsive-like activity and involuntary movements such as contractions of the arms and legs” as well as “eye movements”, are among the disorders noted by the health authorities.
“Investigations are continuing to determine what these products contain. We strongly recommend that people do not consume them,” said Darren Roberts, medical director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre.
At least five people have been hospitalized after consuming gummies of this type in the southeastern Australian state, the state’s health directorate said in a statement released Wednesday.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand, said the company, whose website was no longer accessible on Thursday, had carried out a recall of these products.
Uncle Frog brand mushroom gummies came in two versions: one said to help develop “memory and concentration” and another said to offer “energy and power.”
The packets promised to “elevate your day” and that the gummies had been “infused with Earth’s finest hemp.”
A victim of the product in Perth, Laura Jones, said she had to be hospitalized for a tachycardia attack. “My heart went up to 160 beats per minute,” she says.
“It was a bit strange because the price was 50 Australian dollars for eight gummies, so it was quite expensive,” she told national public television.
