A businessman ended up in hospital for nearly a week after gorging on a 6.6lb bag of Haribo cola bottles left him with agonising stomach cramps and dangerously high blood pressure.
Nathan Rimmington, 33, from South Yorkshire, ordered the bulk £18 bag to satisfy a late-night craving—but finished the entire thing in just three nights, consuming an estimated 10,461 calories in sugar.
A few days later, the HGV business owner collapsed in agony at home, suffering intense stomach pain and wild swings in body temperature.
‘I thought it might have been the Sunday roast I’d eaten a few days after finishing the sweets,’ he said.
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‘But my stomach was in absolute agony. By Wednesday I couldn’t even get out of bed—I was sweating, it was awful.
‘I went to the doctor, but I was literally lying on the floor in the waiting room because the pain was so bad.’
Tests revealed Mr Rimmington’s blood pressure was alarmingly high, and he was rushed to Rotherham Hospital—where doctors discovered the real, and rather embarrassing, cause of his suffering.
‘They asked me what I’d eaten and all I could think of was the Sunday dinner, so they put it down to food poisoning.
Nathan bought the 3kg bag of sweets from Amazon to satisfy his cravings, despite not usually having a sweet tooth
‘Then they said ‘you’ve got loads of gelatine in your system, do you eat a lot of sweets?’
‘I said I’d had some cola bottles, they asked me how many and I said: ‘three kilos. I didn’t think that was bad’.
‘They were laughing and joking about it with me.’
Mr Rimmington was then diagnosed with acute diverticulitis—a condition that affects the large intestine, causing abdominal pain, high temperature and even rectal bleeding.
It’s caused by small bulges or pouches in the walls of the intestine called diverticula—though according to the NHS most people will not get symptoms.
Common treatment includes antibiotics, if the diverticulitis is caused by an infection and painkillers such as paracetamol.
Rarely, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications such as a blockage in the bowel, a build-up of pus in the bowel, fistula and bowel perforation—which can cause a severe infection called peritonitis.
In Mr Rimmington’s case, doctors were able to treat his condition through administering antibiotics and fluid intravenously through a drip, negating the need for surgery.
Just over a week later, Nathan ended up in hospital with agonising stomach cramps, a high temperature and sweats
He said he thought 3kg for £18 was a good deal, not knowing the horrendous pain his binge would cause
For the six days he was in hospital, Mr Rimmington was nil-by-mouth, meaning that he was not allowed to have any food, drink or medication by mouth.
A year on Mr Rimmington hasn’t eaten a cola bottle since, knowing now that everything’s better in moderation.
‘It was my own stupid fault and I haven’t eaten a cola bottle since,’ he said.
‘It’s like PTSD, I see a cola bottle now and think I’m going to end up in A&E.
‘My advice to avoid the same thing happening to anyone else would be just do it in moderation, don’t go full blase and get kilos at a time like me.’
Haribo has been contacted for comment.
His ordeal comes as the government bans price-slashing deals on junk food, as part of its long-delayed crackdown on obesity.
‘Buy one get free’ offers on sweets, crips, sugary drinks and other snacks were banned from October 1, alongside free refills of fizzy drinks in restaurants and cafes.
The rules apply to supermarkets, bigger high street shops and online retailers, and come after years of delays amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Ministers insist the measures are a crucial step in tackling obesity—particularly among children.
It will be followed in January by a ban on online adverts for unhealthy food and drink, and restrictions on TV advertising before 9pm.
Similar restrictions are due in Wales next year, with Scotland expected to follow.
The policy was first announced by Boris Johnson in 2021 as part of a UK-wide strategy—but has been watered down and delayed repeatedly, with ministers blaming the cost-of-living crisis for giving the food industry more time to prepare.
