WASHINGTON — Ricky Joy recalled about 2.3 million Sour Crush Rolling Liquid Candy bottles Thursday because the ball on top can come loose and choke a child. The candy stayed on sale for more than two years after federal regulators urged sellers to stop selling that kind of candy.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall notice, No. 26-748, says the bottles were sold from January 2023 through May 2026. That period includes March 21, 2024, when the agency warned consumers to stop buying and using “all roller ball candy type products.” It also urged importers, distributors, and retailers “to immediately stop importing, distributing, and selling” them.
That 2024 warning cited the choking death of a 7-year-old girl tied to Cocco Candy Rolling Candy. It also said another child needed emergency surgery to remove a roller ball. A separate recall of Happiness USA Roller Ball Candy says a 7-year-old boy choked in New Jersey in July 2023 and had surgery to remove the ball from his throat.
For Sour Crush, the new notice lists incidents and injuries as “None reported.” It does not say when the importer learned of the hazard.
The recall covers plastic bottles containing 1.85 fluid ounces of sour liquid candy, applied through a rollerball top. The flavors are blue raspberry, strawberry, green apple, and watermelon, with bottle colors of blue, red, green, and pink. They were sold individually and in packs of three or 12. Each bottle’s front shows the Ricky Joy logo, the words “EXTREME SOUR” and “SOUR CRUSH,” the flavor name, and a green monster.
The importer is International Trade Imports LLC of Cumming, Georgia, which does business as Ricky Joy. The candy was made in Colombia.
The notice says a bottle sold for about $3 and a pack for $13 to $32. Stores that sold it include H-E-B, Forman Mills (spelled “Forman Mill” in the notice), and other candy stores nationwide. Online sellers included Walmart.com, CandyFunHouse.com and RickyJoy.com.
Some headlines Thursday said the candy was sold by Walmart. The notice lists only Walmart’s website, not its stores, and it names no states.
Forman Mills, a discount clothing chain, had a Lehigh Valley store at 2150 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township until July 5, 69 News reported. The store closed that day to move less than a mile away, to 1223 Whitehall Mall. A company spokesperson told Whatnow Philadelphia that the new store’s grand opening is set for Sept. 24. The recall notice does not say which Forman Mills stores sold the candy.
The CPSC said owners should stop using the candy, take it away from children, and contact the company for a refund.
Ricky Joy’s recall registration page asks for a mailing address, the flavors, and the number of bottles. It also requires photos of the label and cap showing the lot number and expiration date. After that, the company emails a prepaid return label. “Please do not return the product to a retail store,” the page says.
The page lists a refund of $3 per bottle, or $1.50 for an empty or expired bottle. Neither the notice nor the company page sets a deadline. The notice gives the company’s phone line as 404-975-0352, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.
The recall covers only the rolling liquid bottles. Ricky Joy’s online store still lists Sour Crush gel candy, which the notice does not mention.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s website had no notice about the candy. Its most recent news item was dated Sept. 3.
At least one recall alert account on X, USA Recalls, gave the sales window as ending in May 2023. The CPSC notice says May 2026.
