Millions of Mars bars recalled in global safety alert

MILLIONS of Mars, Snickers and Milky Way chocolate bars are being recalled because of safety fears.

The recall – thought to be the biggest in confectionery maker Mars’ history – was triggered after a small piece of plastic was found in a Snickers bar in Germany.

The plastic was traced back to factory equipment and is considered a choking hazard, particularly for young children.

The recall, which began in Germany and spread to Britain and 53 other countries, is a huge blow to the US-owned company, which has been making Mars bars at its Slough factory since 1932.

The products involved in the recall were made at the chocolate giant’s factory in Veghel in Holland. The recall applies to Mars and Snickers products as well as Milky Way Minis and Miniatures and some Celebrations variety boxes with best-before dates between May 8, 2016, and January 8, 2017.

The UK recall relates specifically to 250g packs of Mars Fun Size, which are miniature versions of the bars. Also being recalled are 227g packs of Milky Way Fun Size, as well as two of its Celebrations box products weighing 388g and 245g.

Two of the company’s large Variety Fun Size packs are also being withdrawn. These are typically used at chil- dren’s parties and include a mix of miniature products, including Mars, Milky Way, Twix and Maltesers. Millions of products worth tens of millions of pounds are being recalled and the chocolate may have to be thrown away.

A customer found the piece of red plastic in a Snickers bar in Germany on January 8. He complained to Mars, and the plastic was traced back to a protective cover used in the manufacturing process in the factory in Holland.

The company’s German website carried the warning: ‘The objective of this recall is to prevent consumers who have purchased one of these products from consuming them.

‘We have deliberately chosen a very long production timeframe to ensure we are recalling all products that are potentially affected.’

The website crashed under the weight of pressure from worried customers.

A spokesman for Mars in the Netherlands said: ‘We are investigating exactly what has happened, but we cannot be sure that this red piece of plastic isn’t in any other of our products from the same production line.’

A UK spokesman said: ‘This is an isolated incident. No other varieties of chocolate, pack formats or bar sizes are affected in the UK and no other bestbefore dates or products manufactured at any other location are impacted.’

He added: ‘We offer our consumers our sincere apologies.’