Rolling Candy Recalled Following Choking Death

From Nerds Rope to Baby Bottle Pops, candy companies come up with inventive, imaginative new packaging ideas to capture the attention of young consumers. But some ideas are better left on the drawing board.

On October 5, 2023, Cocco Candy Rolling Candy was officially recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Cocco Candy Rolling Candy consisted of a plastic tube filled with liquid candy and topped with a rollerball dispenser. The premise was that the liquid candy would be rolled directly onto the tongue. As the agency notes, "The candy's rolling ball can dislodge from the product into a child's mouth, posing a choking hazard or death." This harrowing prediction is more than proactive. The recall follows the choking death of a 7-year-old New York girl last April. She became unable to breathe when the Rolling Candy's "rollerball" dislodged and stuck in her throat. Now, roughly 145,800 units are being recalled, and per the CPSC's announcement, consumers who have purchased the Rolling Candy are entitled to a refund, which can be obtained by contacting KGR Distribution Corp. (Contact information is listed via the CPSC statement.)

Specifically, the recall affects the 2-fluid ounce Cocco's Candy Rolling Candy in the flavors Sour Strawberry, Sour Tutti Frutti, and Sour Cola. The products were manufactured in Turkey and sold to retailers nationwide and online by KGR Distribution Corp from May 2022 through March 2023 for roughly $2.50.

The tragic incident also retroactively prompted the separate CPSC recall of a similar product on the same day. Seventy million units of Slime Licker Sour Rolling Liquid Candy by Candy Dynamics are being removed from shelves immediately, and consumers are being instructed to take them away from children. The affected products are labeled Blue Razz, Strawberry, Sour Apple, or Black Cherry with packaging reading "TOXIC WASTE" or "MEGA TOXIC WASTE" brand and "SLIME LICKER Sour Rolling Liquid Candy." There have been two accounts of the ball dislodging from the Slime Licker candy, but thankfully no one has been harmed.

This isn't the first candy to pose concerns about choking. in the U.S. Kinder Surprise Eggs are illegal in America due to similar concerns The solid chocolate egg-shaped candy is hollow, and hidden inside is a miniature plastic toy. The FDA officially calls the toy a choking hazard for child consumers. In 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 60,000 Kinder eggs being smuggled into the country.