Candy-like 'fruit bomb' sends three children to the ER

They are called "Fruit Bombs" and they come in a square foil pouch with cartoon characters and pictures of bananas, oranges and other fruit on the front. Little dialogue clouds with the word "Poot!" decorate both the front and back of the shiny packages.

Sounds like the latest "gross out" candy that will soon be all the rage with the kiddie set, right? Well, not exactly. Fruit Bombs are in fact novelty air fresheners, although it is all but impossible to tell that from looking at the package.

Health officials in western New York are now warning parents and retailers about Fruit Bombs after a Buffalo-area convenience store put them out for sale on its candy aisle alongside the Starburst fruit chews and Snickers chocolate bars. Three young girls were rushed to the emergency room after eating some of the 30-cent Fruit Bombs they had purchased at the store.

Within 15 minutes of opening one of the pouches and sharing the liquid capsule and powder inside, one of the girls who had eaten the most, vomited and another complained her throat was burning. The third spit hers out because of the nasty taste, according to the Associated Press.

There is no manufacturer listed on the Fruit Bomb package or the store display box, nor is there any listing of ingredients. The package does say "Made in Taiwan" and in very small letters on the back are the warnings "Eating Prohibited" and "Please Do Not Put in Mouth."

The mother of two of the girls who got sick told the AP that the packaging was to blame.

"It was located on a candy shelf. The owner of the store itself mistook it for candy," said Dee Hafi. "There is no way by looking at the package that you would know it’s not candy."

Dr. Prashant Joshi, medical director of the Western New York Poison Center, told the AP that the pouches contain a capsule of citric acid that, when broken inside the pouch, mixes with baking soda, causing a chemical reaction that puffs up the bag until it bursts, releasing various odors.

Joshi said the local poison control center is trying to find the manufacturer and intends to alert the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission about the item.

Here we go again
Lately we have found ourselves writing a lot about products like this aimed at kids, everything from gummy-type fruit chews shaped like Legos (and made by Kellogg's) to Hello Kitty candy perfume.

In the good news department, the Lego Group recently let us know that it has "decided to exit the food category altogether—for no reason relating to consumer issues around the Kellogg product."  We commend Lego's action, although it would have been better if the company had just said no to the idea of fruit snacks shaped like its iconic building bricks.

Such products need to be subjected to more than the usual taste test before being marketed to kids. First and foremost, they need to pass a common sense test.

Comments

[Seal]

I just bought one of these at a local convenience store to see what would happen. I broke the water pack inside and dropped the package. It rapidly filled with air and looked like an air bag on the floor, but it didn't pop. After a few hits with a stick, it made a popping sound that resounded around the entire neighborhood. It would probably be dangerous if you tried to pick it up.

[Austyn Meier]

There should be a major lawsuit against the air freshener company, that was an unsafe product. I think that the company should lose all of their rights

[Alyssa in Minnesota]

That is very suspicious sounding. I too thought it looked like candy. I hope the girls are okay and something happens with the production of that misleading product.

[Bryan]

Thank you, Consumer Reports, for offering this type of invaluable information as a free e-mail.

This absolutely looks like candy that my children (okay, me too!) enjoy. From the cartoon characters to the individually wrapped packaging, these look exactly as if they are meant to be eaten. Please tell me that the FDA is stepping in here!!

[Dianna]

It is a great service to families that you help us prevent possible severe illness or death from the junk that companies sell to unsuspecting children. How to we get the information to inform children? They can not guess the sickness that can occur from these deadly products. THANX
from quennbeenie