OTTAWA, October 30, 2008 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Hershey Canada are advising the public that certain Hershey chocolate products previously recalled on November 12, 2006, have been found for sale in a small number of independent retail outlets in the Etobicoke and North York areas of Toronto, Ontario.
This advisory does not involve any products in Halloween packaging.
The CFIA believes that some Hershey products recalled in 2006 re-entered the marketplace through improper channels and reached a number of local, independent distributors, who are supplying small variety stores in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Consumers in the GTA are advised to check the codes on all Hershey products in their possession and before purchasing to ensure they do not bear codes that begin with numbers ranging from 6417 to 6455 inclusively. No other product is affected.
The CFIA advises all retailers and wholesalers to check their Hershey chocolate products and remove any product with affected codes from distribution immediately.
Various Hershey chocolate products manufactured by Hershey Canada Inc. bearing codes beginning with numbers ranging from 6417 to 6455 inclusively were recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. For a complete list of recalled products from November 2006 visit the CFIA web site at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2006/20061112e.shtml.
There have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.
Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled. Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause salmonellosis, a foodborne illness. In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections. In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.
For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:
Hershey Canada, Inc. 1-800-468-1714
CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday to Friday).
For information on Salmonella, visit the Food Facts web page at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/causee.shtml
For information on receiving recalls by e-mail, or for other food safety facts, visit our web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.
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Media Inquiries:
Kirk Saville
The Hershey Company
717-534-7838
Garfield Balsom
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Office of Food Safety and Recall
613-760-4232
Linda LeBlanc
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Office of Food Safety and Recall
613-760-4112