Food group Mars, Inc. has launched an international recall of certain chocolate products after a customer in Germany found a small piece of red plastic in a Snickers bar.
The plastic was traced back to the Mars factory in the town of Veghel in the Netherlands.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mars said that it was an “isolated incident” but as a precaution the company is voluntarily recalling a selection of Snickers, Mars, Milky Way and Celebrations products made in the Dutch factory.
A Mars Netherlands spokesperson quoted by BBC News said: “We cannot be sure that this plastic was only in that particular Snickers. We do not want any products on the market that may not meet our quality requirements, so we decided to take them all back.”
Mars is implementing the recall in all markets served by the Netherlands facility. It covers 55 countries — mostly in Europe — and does not extend to the United States. Reports said the recall could end up costing the company tens of millions of dollars.
The recall concerns only specific products that were manufactured at the facility between December 5, 2015 and January 18, 2016.
“Mars Netherlands exports to a number of countries and some duty-free outlets, so the easiest way for consumers to determine whether they have a product that has been recalled is to look at the label,” the company explained. “If it is not labeled ‘Mars Netherlands’, it is not included in the recall.”
