Mumbai: The All Food And Drug Licence Holder Foundation (ALFDHF) has written to the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for an investigation into possible Listeria virus contamination in Cadbury products sold in the state.
Earlier this month, six Cadbury-branded desserts were been recalled by their manufacturer in the UK and Ireland over fears they could be contaminated with Listeria.
The dairy company Müller, which produces the desserts, said it was recalling various batches, all of which have a use-by date of either May 17 or 18, as a precaution. The company asked consumers not to eat the products and to return them to the store where they were bought.
The affected products were:
Cadbury Daim chocolate dessert 75g; Cadbury Crunchie chocolate dessert 75g; Cadbury Flake chocolate dessert 75g; Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons chocolate dessert 75g; Cadbury Dairy Milk Chunks chocolate dessert 75g; and Cadbury Heroes chocolate dessert six x 75g.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) said Müller was recalling the products “because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes”.
Symptoms of a Listeria infection, listeriosis, are usually mild and similar to those of flu. They can include a high temperature, muscle pain, chills, feeling of being sick and diarrhoea. However, some people are more vulnerable to Listeria infections, including those aged over 65, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies who are less than a month old and people who have weakened immune systems.
Products sold in India as well
“These Cadbury products are sold in Indian markets also, so there are chances that this virus can hit the Indian population,” Abhay Pandey, president, ALFDHF, said. “We request you to test samples of Cadbury-branded dessert products and take necessary action,” he said.
An email to the Cadbury office in Mumbai did not evoke any response.
“So far there are no talks related to investigation but we will be holding a meeting on conducting an investigation after understanding what happened in the UK and what this virus is about,” an FDA official said.
