[Daffynition]

[USMCPOP]

Lead-filled licorice = blackjack.

[Vaquero]

as a kid, licorice was one of those staples that passed around when kids got together....along with ‘dots’ on paper and wax ‘soda’ bottles filled with goop.

I was never, ever a liker of the foul sticks...either black or red. in my book, candy had chocolate in it....all else was sham-candy, that you ate, only to be polite to whomever was giving it to you.

[Rutabega]

I moved to Sweden for four years and was appalled by how many people there loved black licorice to the extent that the flavor was used in bubble gum and...ack...ice cream. Barf.

[Ezekiel]

health officials found the batch to contain up to 13.2 micrograms of lead, or more than twice the state-recommended safe amount.

Best to stick with unleaded...

[Obadiah]

I love black licorice... the unleaded kind.

[ArrogantBustard]

1) Black licorice is awesome. Great stuff! Anybody who doesn't like it is probably queer.

2) "Red Vines" is the absolute worst brand, regardless of color or flavor. It should all be rounded up and rocketed into the Sun; the factory should be subjected to saturation nuclear bombing, and the formula destroyed forever.

[Moltke]

after health officials found the batch to contain up to 13.2 micrograms of lead, or more than twice the state-recommended safe amount.

The first part of that is meaningless if not referenced to some unit weight. 13.2 micrograms per gram? per pound? per ton? the whole of that batch?

And the second part is nonsensical as well. If 6.6 micrograms are considered "safe," what happens to people who eat twice as much as others?

[FrdmLvr]

Black licorice seems to be one of the few things people either LOVE or HATE. I’m in the love-it category. I’ll probably have to pick up some Snaps today, because of this!

[central_va]

Lead? There is a China connection here.

[central_va]

Lead? There is a China connection here.

[Dr. Ursus]

Australian black licorice!

[Born to Conserve]

Anise flavor ruins anything it touches.

Same with caraway. Seeded rye bread is a crime against humanity.

Cinnamon is also universally bad. Cinnamon gum, in coffee or chocolate, etc — hell food.

Ginger, yuc.

There are so many “flavors” that are just garbage that poor cultures became accustomed to. I keep busy eating things that taste good.

[cpa4you]

There is a very long tradition of eating black licorice in my Danish family. So much so that I FedExed two pound bags to my 84 year old uncle and brother last October. If mom were still alive I'd have sent her a two pound bag, too.

Yeah, it's an “acquired taste.” Like so many acquired tastes, once acquired, it becomes preferred!

[End Times Sentinel]

While I concede black licorice is disgusting, but for overall worst, hands down it's Circus Peanuts.

[Buckeye McFrog]

How did the lead get in there in the first place?
Nobody seems to be saying.

[jboot]

I love the stuff. In Germany you can get it crusted with salt like a pretzel. MMMM!

Best of all, you can make it yourself so if the food nazis ban it I can still get it.

[.45 Long Colt]

Some prepper who works for them probably did some reloading at his work station.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Licorice is not known for having any particular metals in it, nor is anise, a cheaper herb used as a licorice substitute or additive in cheaper licorice candies.

However, most licorice is produced and processed in China, which may be the source of the problem.

[Lazamataz]

In case you needed more reason not to eat the worst “candy” in existence, a recent batch of black Red Vines licorice from Union City, Calif. has just been found to contain dangerous amounts of lead. According to a recall issued yesterday, all one-pound bags of black Red Vines labeled “Best Before 020413″ should not be eaten and can be returned to their place of purchase for a full refund, after health officials found the batch to contain up to 13.2 micrograms of lead, or more than twice the state-recommended safe amount.

Aw crap. I just ate 3,281,489 bags of it.

[Axenolith]

29 parts per billion for those unaccustomed to stupid reporters who mix units and measurement systems like a tossed salad...