Authorities in New Zealand are investigating after candies containing a potentially lethal concentration of methamphetamine were donated to an Auckland charity and distributed into the community.

       At least eight families were affected, including at least one child, said Helen Robinson, chief executive of Auckland City Mission-Te Tāpui Atawhai. Police said three people sought medical assistance, including a charity worker who went to a hospital with symptoms consistent with methamphetamine consumption and a child and teenager who briefly placed candies in their mouths but returned negative tests. The most common reaction was to spit out the candies immediately because of the “revolting” taste, Robinson said.

       She said they believed the candies were donated some time in the past six weeks; the organization contacted between 300 and 400 people who may have received a food parcel that contained the candies. “To say that we are devastated is an absolute understatement,” she said.

       Authorities became aware of the problem on Tuesday when a community member contacted the charity after tasting a donated candy, Robinson told reporters Wednesday. Staffers had the candy tested by the NZ Drug Foundation, which found it contained about 3 grams of methamphetamine.

       “Swallowing that much methamphetamine is extremely dangerous and could result in death,” NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm said in a news release.

       Glenn Baldwin of the New Zealand Police told reporters 16 candies had been found so far. Twenty to 30 were in a packet, but authorities were not certain whether more than one packet had been donated, he added.

       The wrapped Rinda-brand pineapple-flavored sweets were donated inside a sealed packet. They were placed into food parcels for people in need, Robinson said.

       Steven Teh, general manager of Rinda, a Malaysian company, said in an emailed statement that they became aware of the “misused” candies through news reports and would work closely with authorities in their investigation. “We want to make it clear that Rinda Food Industries does not use or condone the use of any illegal drugs in our products,” he said.

       Baldwin said “initial perceptions” were that the methamphetamine had been imported into New Zealand concealed as candy and may have been accidentally donated to the charity by someone who was not aware of what they contained. But he stressed the investigation was in its infancy and police were keeping an “open mind” to all possibilities.

       The methamphetamine in each candy is worth more than 1,000 New Zealand dollars, or $608, according to Ben Birks Ang, deputy executive director of the NZ Drug Foundation.

       “This stuff is worth a significant figure, so there could well be questions being asked in the criminal underworld about it,” Baldwin said.