Suit Tying Hershey’s Twizzlers to Heart Problems Can Go Forward

Hershey Co. must keep defending against a lawsuit alleging it failed to warn that black licorice candies like Twizzlers and Good & Plenty can cause heart problems and other ill effects, after a US judge in Pennsylvania said federal food labeling law doesn’t block the claims.

Jane Lavoie-Fern, Sherry Konwaler, Harvey Horowitz, and Marie Bruen allege that they ate Hershey’s black licorice candies and suffered various health issues.

Black licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a sweetening compound derived from licorice roots. At certain levels of consumption, glycyrrhizin has been shown to cause abnormal heart rhythms, mineral imbalances, high blood pressure, swelling, lethargy, ...