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Dozens of horrified New Zealand parents are not in their children's good books after accidentally feeding them treats meant for dogs.

The reports that the "Scooby Snack" brand treats - complete with pictures of Scooby Doo - were accidentally placed near the crisps and snacks aisle in a local Pak'nSave supermarket. It appears that customers may have mistaken them for similarly-packaged bone-shaped biscuits featuring the mystery-solving canine.

According to the paper, the product packaging states they are a "pet food product only, human-friendly but not recommended", a fact not noticed by many parents until it was too late. Now notices have gone up in local schools advising adults to check lunchboxes.

However, the Foodstuffs company, which owns the Pak'nSave chain, insists that the dog treats were not placed near the snacks meant for children, and were clearly labelled as being for pets.

Spokeswoman Antoinette Laird told the that "Unfortunately it appears some customers mistook them for human food," and the store has now withdrawn them from sale. "On reflection, we can see how the cartoon characters on the packaging might be confusing!" she said.

Parents on social media were aghast, with one saying "I wondered why my boy didn't like the taste of them". Another posted "A child at work had these today. By the time I saw it she had eaten all of them."

One parent described the entire episode: "I was absolutely mortified when I gave them to my daughter. She took one bite and said, 'this is rubbish'... I looked at the packet closely and gasped, 'Oh no, I am so sorry. I just fed you dog food'."

According to Newshub, the Scooby Snacks "are advertised as supporting bone strengthening and skin- and coat-health". These are not likely to be an issue for young children, it says.

Reporting by Alistair Coleman

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