Voluntary recall of certain chocolate products in Canada
due to possible contamination with salmonella
Background
On 12 November 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Hershey Canada Inc. advised the consumers not to consume certain chocolate products because these products might be contaminated with salmonella.
Hershey Canada Inc. is voluntarily recalling the affected products from the marketplace. Only products on the recall list with date codes from 6417 to 6455, produced from 15 October to 10 November, are affected. According to the CFIA there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products to date.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) contacted the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong for details. According to the local distributor, Hershey's products in Hong Kong are not sourced from Canada. CFS has requested relevant traders to be alert of the recall. They should not import or sell the affected products. CFS will continue to closely monitor the development of the incident.
What is salmonella?
Salmonella is a bacterium with a widespread occurrence in animals, especially in poultry and swine, as well as environmental sources such as water, soil and animal faeces. Acute symptoms of salmonella infection may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, and headache. These symptoms could be particularly serious in young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
High risk food
Typical foods that have been found contaminated by salmonella include meat and meat products (e.g. roast beef, meat pies, sausage and ham), poultry and poultry products, milk and dairy products, eggs and egg products (e.g. custards and cream cakes).
Advice to trade
Importer/distributor and retailers are requested to be on the alert of the incident and stop the import and sale of the affected products.
Advice to consumers
Consumers who have in case purchased the affected products should stop consuming them.
Further information
For latest details about the incident and the recall product list, please visit: