Large-scale recall because of plastic particles in Mars chocolate bars

Mars launches a recall in 55 countries
Because of the presence of plastic particles, sweets maker Mars has launched a full recall of millions of chocolate products in 55 countries. According to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), "chocolate products of the brands Mars, Snickers, Milky Way and Celebrations" in Germany are affected by best before dates between 19 June 2016 and 08 January 2017.

With the voluntary recall campaign, the confectionery manufacturer is reacting to the discovery of a plastic particle in one of its chocolate bars. Anyone who has purchased one of the Mars products mentioned above is requested to contact the consumer hotline of the manufacturer or to use the contact form on www.mars.de. The website is currently hardly accessible, which is probably due to the large number of accesses due to the recall.

Mars has launched a product recall campaign for potentially contained plastic particles. (Image: Julian Weber / fotolia.com)

All potentially affected products should be retrieved
"Mars Chocolate has opted for a voluntary recall of MARS, SNICKERS, MILKY WAY and CELEBRATIONS brand chocolate products after a plastic particle has been found in a product," notes the BVL Food Safety Warning website. A detailed list of affected products can be found on the manufacturer's website. However, this was not available most of the time today. "With this recall, we want to prevent consumers who have purchased any of the above products, consume this," the company explains. A very long production period was deliberately chosen "to ensure that all potentially affected products are retrieved." The manufacturer emphasized "that no other Mars products are affected by this recall."

According to its own statements, Mars Chocolate is in close contact with the food authorities to ensure that all regulatory requirements for the recall are met. Quality and food safety would be taken very seriously by Mars and the inconvenience in this regard will be apologized to consumers, the company said. However, the chosen route of recall via direct contact with the manufacturer seems to bypass the interests of consumers a little. Other companies certainly allow for the possibility of returning them to the employment offices. In addition, many affected consumers who are currently trying to fill out the contact form on the Internet are having significant problems with the server's inaccessibility. (Fp)