June 24, 2006
British food company Cadbury Schweppes has recalled one million
chocolate bars over salmonella concerns. However, the London Times
reports the action has raised a larger question.
The company is reportedly under investigation by British authorities, who want to know why they weren't informed for six months about the salmonella problem at Cadbury's Malbrook plant.
The company insists, meanwhile, there was no cover-up and the recall was being carried out only as "a precautionary move."
Britain's Health Protection Agency is investigating nearly 50 cases of a rare strain of salmonella poisonings in the UK. The strain of the bacteria is the same as the one found in the Cadbury's factory.
The Times quotes a spokesman for the food agency as saying "we would have expected to be told immediately. We do not expect to find salmonella in chocolate bars."
Cadbury's Friday ordered the recall of more than a million bars from store shelves and conceded the chocolate might have been contaminated with salmonella since January.
Salmonella can be fatal. In its most serious cases, bacteria can enter the blood. Mild infection, which includes diarrhoea, sickness and stomach cramps, is usually cleared up within four to seven days.
Cadbury Schweppes is the world's largest confectionery company, but is known in the United States mostly for its beverages. It's brands include Halls, Trident, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Trebor, Dentyne, Bubblicious and Bassett.
