A mother accidentally gave her baby a “lollipop” made with methamphetamine, the Auckland City Mission said, in an attempt to contact 400 families who may have received contaminated food.

The alarm was raised after blocks of methamphetamine disguised as Rinda brand pineapple lollipops were discovered in packages issued by the mission.

Missionary Helen Robinson told a news conference on Wednesday that at least eight families have been affected by the contamination so far.

In one case, a “lollipop” was given to a child, but he immediately spat it out.

Robinson said the taste of the meth “lollipops” was bitter or “tart”, which meant they were not consumed, although people were offered help because the tablets contain a high dose.

According to the New Zealand Medicines Foundation, which was called in to test the tablets, each 3-gram lollipop was the equivalent of about 300 doses of methamphetamine and could be fatal.

Photo: Delivered / Auckland City Mission

Symptoms include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, seizures, hyperthermia, delirium, loss of consciousness.

Since July, between 300 and 400 contacted families have received parcels.

The “lollipops” were removed from their sealed packages and mixed with others in the packages. Although it is believed that only 20 packages of “lollipops” could have been scattered among the packages, there was no way to tell which packages might have been contaminated.

Robinson said the transfer of the drugs was likely accidental, given their street value of about $1,000.

Speaking to Afternoon ReportRobinson explained the donation process.

“The process of donating food to the mission is that you can come in with a bag full of food, and we only get non-perishable items from members of the public. That bag is brought in, weighed, certified, and given as a receipt, but we don’t look at every item or bag individually…

“It’s very possible there’s more than one bag there.”

Between receiving the complaint about the taste Tuesday afternoon and testing the lollipops, two employees also tasted them and spat them out. The public was notified about two hours after the complaint.

Robinson said the staff received medical attention.

The mission distributes approximately 50,000 packages to needy families each year.

Lollipops are not intended for retail sale

The Ministry of Primary Industries says it does not believe the issue of lollipops being sold there has any wider significance.

No evidence has been found to suggest that Rinda brand pineapple lollipops are available for retail sale in New Zealand. It is possible that the product was brought into the country by a private individual.

As a precaution, it is recommended not to eat Rinda brand pineapple lollipops.