The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about a brand of chocolates that has reportedly hospitalized six individuals.

“The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with America’s Poison Centers and state and local partners, are investigating a series of illnesses associated with eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars,” the agency stated last week.

“As of June 7, 2024, a total of eight illnesses have been reported from four states including AZ (4), IN (2), NV (1), and PA (1). All eight people have reported seeking medical care; six have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. FDA is working to determine the cause of these illnesses and is considering the appropriate next steps. More information will be provided as it becomes available,” it added.

The agency posted these ‘Product Images’:

Sample Product Image from the Investigation of Illnesses Related to Diamond Shruumz-Brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars (June 2024)

* Image from FDA *

According to the Daily Mail, the hospitalizations included a 15-year-old girl and five others.

“The patients suffered from seizures, the FDA said, with patients then intubated and put on ventilators in intensive care units,” the outlet stated.

Daily Mail reports:

All had consumed at least one piece of a Diamond Shruumz chocolate bar, which contain THC and a ‘proprietary blend’ of mushrooms ‘with a kick’.

These mushrooms don’t contain psilocybin, which is illegal in the US at a federal level, but do contain other active compounds linked to better mood and wellbeing.

It is not clear what is causing the illness, but there are suggestions that the mushrooms may have contained mycotoxins —chemicals produced when mushrooms start to go off — which can cause seizures.

The FDA urged people not to consume the bars — which are sold nationwide — and told stores to take them off their shelves.

Steve Dudley, the director of the Arizona Poison Centers — where most illnesses have been reported — said: ‘While these products claim to contain only natural ingredients and no scheduled drugs, there is clearly something toxic occurring.

Half of the illnesses were in Arizona.

Two were in Indiana, while Nevada and Pennsylvania had one each.

“We’ve seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar then seizing, losing consciousness, and having to be intubated,” Dudley said, according to Daily Mail. 

“We are urging the public to use extreme caution due to the very serious effects of these products,” he added.

From the FDA:

Product

All flavors of Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars

Symptoms

People who became ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars reported a variety of severe symptoms including seizures, central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness), agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea, and vomiting.

Stores Affected

Diamond Shruumz- brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars can be purchased online and in person at a variety of retail locations nationwide including smoke/vape shops, and at retailers that sell hemp-derived products such as cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC). The full list of retailers is currently unknown, and FDA recommends that people do not purchase or consume any flavor of Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars from any retail or online locations at this time.

 

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