Richmond doctor warning parents after kids get burned by ‘Jolly Rancher grapes’ social media trend

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A doctor in Richmond is warning families about the dangers of a hot new social media trend that has sent several local kids to his office with severe burns.

Some Richmond-area kids looking for a sweet treat have recently ended up in the hospital after following videos posted to social media showing how to make “Jolly Rancher candy grapes.”

The videos encourage viewers to melt the hard candies on the stove before coating grapes with the hot liquid and letting them cool in the freezer. Dr. Michael Feldman with the Evans-Haynes Burn Center at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health says he’s seen the process go wrong during step one and two.

“That’s where it spills and can cause some real injury,” said Feldman. “People need to be very vigilant.”

Dr. Feldman said that, in the past six months, at least three kids have visited VCU Health with burn injuries. He said the severity of injuries depends on where the kids were burned.

“If the injuries are really deep, they might need surgery, so that has happened with this type of mechanism before. And then we try and manage scars later,” said Feldman.

If kids or their parents are trying out the trend, Dr. Feldman encourages families interested in trying to make “Jolly Rancher Grapes” to use a container with heat-proof edges for the mixture and watch kids closely during the process. If you do get burned, Dr. Feldman says you should visit a verified burn doctor as soon as possible.

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