Candy Linked to Mad Cow Fears on Sale in NYC

N E W   Y O R K, Jan. 30 -- A chewy candy yanked from shelves in Poland because of fears that a main ingredient could have come from cattle infected with mad cow disease is on sale in New York City stores.

The German-made fruit chew, Mamba, was found in delis andbodegas in all five boroughs, the Daily News reported today.

The manufacturer of the candy, which comes 18 pieces to a75-cent pack in lemon, orange, raspberry and strawberry flavors,insisted that it poses no health risks. The company, Storck U.S.A.,said it had no plans to change the ingredients of the Mamba sold inthe United States.

"The product is safe," Storck vice president Tony Nelson saidfrom the company's Chicago office.

New York City Department of Health officials, however, said theywould investigate.

No animal or human cases of mad cow disease have been discoveredoutside Europe. People suffering from the disease experience muscletwitches and dementia and usually die of pneumonia within a year.

Mamba, one of the best-known sweets in Europe, is marketed in 80countries by the Storck Co., of Werther, Germany. It contains abeef-based gelatin.

Storck began recalling the candy in Poland last week afterhealth officials there banned beef products from countries withconfirmed cases of mad cow disease.

Storck said German health officials have certified its beefgelatin as properly prepared for people to eat. The company said itwould eliminate the gelatin only from Mamba distributed in Poland.

Brooklyn resident Joanna Nowak said her 3-year-old daughter eatsMamba every day.

"I bought some yesterday," Nowak told the Daily News. "Mydaughter likes it very much. But this morning I told her to throwit out."

Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy,is believed spread by recycling meat and bone meal from infectedanimals back into cattle feed. The cattle disease is thought tocause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the fatal human equivalentof mad cow disease.