Children Given Expired Candy For Ash Wednesday

Children in east Iceland received candy nearly ten years past date for Ash Wednesday, but it is unknown how this error came to pass.

East Iceland news service Austurfrétt reports that children who visited the town offices of Seyðisfjörður, in east Iceland, received candy on Ash Wednesday, as is the tradition in this country. However, parents and children alike were surprised to discover that the candy was in fact almost ten years past its expiration date.

The town issued an immediate apology on their official website, explaining that it did not even occur to town employees to check the expiration date on the candy, as they trusted the source.

That source was the Icelandic wholesale company Íslenskrar dreifingar. When contacted to offer an explanation as to how candy manufactured in 2004, and expired in 2007, was being sold, the managing director refused to comment.

While there is as yet no explanation for how expired candy ended up in distribution, or where else it was sold, health authorities in East Iceland and Reykjavík have gotten involved. It should be noted that Seyðisfjörður town offices say they have received no complaints that the candy tasted bad; by all accounts it was well received.