Officials were forced to remove a relaxation drink named after reggae icon Bob Marley after several students at two schools were sickened.
Marley's Mellow Mood is promoted to reduce stress. The drink's nutrition facts say it may cause drowsiness and is not intended for children and those taking medication should first consult a physician.
However, students at Satz Middle School and Holmdel High School in New Jersey were able to buy it on campus, causing several middle school students were sickened on Friday.
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Relaxation: Marley's Mellow Mood is promoted to reduce stress. The drink's nutrition facts say it may cause drowsiness and is not intended for children and those taking medication should first consult a physician
District: New Jersey's Holmdel High School is one of the places where the cafeteria sells Marley's Mellow Mood drink and parents are bit asking for it to be banned
The school did not say what the symptoms were but comments on a blog post about the incident said children had been violently ill, dizzy, nauseous, lethargic, felt 'weird' and slept for hours on end.
Superintendent Barbara Duncan issued a statement to say she first learned of children becoming ill after drinking Marley's Mellow Mood drink on Friday
Superintendent Barbara Duncan issued a statement to say she first learned of children becoming ill after drinking Marley's Mellow Mood drink on Friday, when contacted by Satz School Principal Arthur Howard.
'We called for an immediate and thorough investigation by Chartwells School Dining Services,' she said. 'Chartwells cooperated with our request, reacted quickly and identified the issues at hand.
'We were informed that Marley’s was a new product that did not go through the approval process required for all new products.'
The on-site manager for Chartwells has been dismissed pending further investigation, according to Holmdel-Hazlet Patch.
Chartwells is investigating the incident, and said it was not a product authorized for sale in schools managed by the company.
Regional vice president of the company Nancy Quinn said: 'The product in question has been removed from schools completely and will not be available.
'We sincerely regret that this product was sold and that students had an adverse reaction to it.'
A parent of one of the students at the school wrote a blog post on Sunday saying that those who had consumed the drinks said they felt 'weird' and lethargic.
The label of the drink states: 'The all natural botanical ingredients in this product have been specially blended to mellow your mood, and may cause drowsiness. Best enjoyed when you are ready to relax'
Felicia Stoler said: 'There is supposed to be a school "wellness" policy which impacts the foods sold on school property.
'Marley’s Mellow Mood’s first ingredient after water is sugar. It is my understanding that schools are not supposed to be selling products like these.'
A RELAXATION DRINK WITH 40 GRAMS OF SUGAR
Servings per container: 1.5
Calories per serving: 110
Grams of sugar per serving: 27
Ingredients: Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavor, vegetable juice for color, sodium citrate, hops extract, lemon balm extract, chamomile extract, rose hips extract
She also points out: 'The website claims the beverage contains Valerian root, yet the ingredient label doesn’t state it is in the product. Valerian root is used in the same manner as melatonin.'
Another parent commented on the blog post to describe the side effects her son suffered from, saying he had 'elevated blood pressure and heart rate and fell asleep in class. He was dizzy and nauseous.'
Another described children as being violently ill, falling asleep in class and then sleeping for hours on end after school.
She also flagged up that cashiers were advised to only sell one to each student.
Marley’s Mellow Mood drink is created in partnership with the musician’s family. It is said to contain ingredients that promote relaxation and reduce stress, according to its website.
It's described as the 'anti-energy drink' and says it contains 100 per cent natural, calming botanicals.
The label of the drink states: 'The all natural botanical ingredients in this product have been specially blended to mellow your mood, and may cause drowsiness.
'Best enjoyed when you are ready to relax. Do not mix with alcohol. Not intended for children.'
In one can there is more than 40 grams of sugar. Ingredients are, carbonated water, pure cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavor, vegetable juice for color, sodium citrate, hops extract, lemon balm extract, chamomile extract, rose hips extract
Bob Marley's daughter endorsed the drink on the website saying: 'Marley's Mellow Mood helps move my family's mission forward with the principles of our father's belief in that calm breeds peace, respect and love, while 1Love.org helps pay those messages forward.'
