Monday, May 20

‘Unsafe, Contains White Worms’: Food Laboratory Report On Complaint Of Worm In Cadbury Chocolate

Edited by Fazal Rahman Chembulangad
'Unsafe, Contains White Worms': Food Laboratory Report On Complaint Of Worm In Cadbury Chocolate (Photo Screengrab Robin Zaccheus @RobinZaccheus)

Following the complaint from a Hyderabad resident Robin Vinay Kumar Zaccheus after he found a live worm in a Cadbury chocolate bar, the authorities examined the store and samples from the same batch marked in the incident. The Telangana State Food Laboratory body has released a report confirming that the chocolate sample was found contaminated with worms and webs. The Food Laboratory further stated the sample was “unsafe” for consumption under section 3.1(zz)(iii)(ix) of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006.

On February 11, Mr Zaccheus took to his social media platform X, sharing the picture of the live worm crawling in a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate that he bought from a metro station. People in the comment section had asked him to take a legal move against the Cadbury. However, the multi-national chocolate company reacted to his post by expressing its regret over the customer’s bad experience. It had also asked Mr Zaccheus to send the complaint with details for redressal.

Mr Zaccheus today (Wednesday) shared the screenshot of the Telangana State Food Laboratory report and wrote that It is perhaps high time that FMCG companies are made accountable and penalised for supplying unsafe food that our children consume very often. He also asked Mondelez Intl, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Ratnadeep Retail from which he bought the product to take responsibility for “endangering public health.”

He further wrote, “I urge people to be cautious while consuming these chocolates, especially when we give it to our innocent children,” and requested the Heath Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to take action.

However, with the state food laboratory deeming the sample of Dairy Milk Chocolate as unsafe for consumption, Mondelez India’s Spokesperson in a statement said that it has tested the samples of the same batch, as well as other batches manufactured around the same time and found no issues.

“We follow the internationally accepted HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points) programme, which is the most comprehensive food safety system in the world, to ensure that our products are free from any physical, chemical and microbiological issues. Chocolate like any other food product requires specific care and attention in the distribution chain, retail environment and storage. Every Cadbury carries the label – ‘Store in a cool, hygienic and dry place’. We have tested the samples of the same batch, as well as other batches manufactured around the same time and found no issues. We are confident that the product has not been affected during the manufacturing process. The quality of our products and the safety of our consumers is our highest priority and we remain committed to ensuring our consumers continue to love our products,” the statement reads.

However, the report regarding the company pertains solely to the submitted samples, according to the food laboratory authorities.