Dubai, UAE / TEH: Types of imported chocolate “Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs” sparked controversy in Bahrain and Egypt, after accusations of “adulteration” and containing “narcotic ingredients”, before the authorities of the two countries acted on them.
And on Tuesday, the Bahraini Ministry of Health said it had followed up on “what was circulated on social media about the withdrawal of a type of chocolate from the British market on suspicion of being contaminated with salmonella bacteria,” according to the official news agency.
And the ministry confirmed that “the matter was followed up and it was confirmed that this product, “British / Belgian of origin”, was not available in the local markets.”
The Ministry of Health recommended “the importance of not circulating these messages and warnings that would raise anxiety among citizens and residents.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation BBC reported, on Monday, that “about 63 people, mostly young children, developed food poisoning due to salmonella bacteria, which could be related to a type of chocolate sold in the form of eggs .”
The British Food Standards Agency said batches of this chocolate egg had been recalled from the market because it could be contaminated.
In Egypt, Abdel Moneim Khalil , Head of the Internal Trade Sector at the Ministry of Supply, confirmed to The Eastern Herald news website , on Tuesday, that samples of a type of imported chocolate that was reported to contain poppy were reported in the media.
He explained that the samples that were withdrawn from the local markets will be sent to the Ministry of Health to ensure the correctness of adding poppies to it or not, noting that the result will appear within 10 days.
The move came a day after the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior stated that it “observed what was circulated in some media about the presence of chocolate containing a percentage of poppy in its ingredients.”
The Interior Ministry clarified that “some poppy seeds are included in the ingredients of some foodstuffs and are processed before use to ensure that they are free of narcotics.”
She stressed, “that samples of chocolate circulating in the markets will be withdrawn for analysis to ensure that they comply with international standards.”
