Skittles Deemed Safe For Consumption Again
Skittles enthusiasts may rest at ease once again. The Indiana State Health Department has released a statement that the candy is once again deemed safe to consume following testing at the Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory.
The testing followed the hospitalization of two individuals (see original report) who reportedly ate a contaminated bag of Skittle sold at a Richmond Marathon Food Mart. According to official, test results have shown that other packages of Original Skittles sold at the location contained no unusual chemical substances.
Officials state that possible contamination of two lots of Original Skittles was determined when field testing showed preliminary chemical results on March 5. These results are unsubstantiated as no toxins were found in the candy.
As a precaution to protect public safety, a warning was issued yesterday, based on test results conducted with equipment available in the field. The State Health Department states that it is not uncommon for equipment available in the field to yield results that are found to be different than those obtained in a laboratory test, which is why lab tests are conducted for confirmation.
The Indiana State Police initiated its investigation based on the preliminary field test results. Now that advanced testing has determined no presence of unusual chemical substances, the state police are closing the investigation. There is no further need to collect samples of Skittles purchased from the Marathon Food Mart.
The packages of Original Skittles have been determined not to contain toxins and are safe to eat. The Indiana State Department of Health continues to investigate the cause of illness.