RWANDA – The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has ordered firms to stop selling Toblerone chocolate due to quality concerns.
The regulator looked into the situation after complaints about the quality of chocolate recently surfaced on social media.
The regulator stated that it had “investigated and found that the chocolates did not comply with standards,”, particularly in light of their hardness and faded color, in a statement issued on Saturday, November 19.
“All importers of the above-mentioned chocolates, distributors, and retailers in possession of the incriminated batches of Toblerone chocolates are requested to remove them from the shelves and stop selling them,” read the statement.
Additionally, the regulatory body demanded that all wholesalers, supermarkets, and other merchants in possession of the chocolate batches in question return them to the place of purchase for proper management.
“All importers of the above-mentioned chocolates are requested to receive the returned quantities and report to the FDA the quantities imported, the quantities returned and stock on hand within 15 days,” the statement further read, adding that all the customers that had purchased the implicated batches “are requested to stop their consumption.”
It is expected that the regulator will look into the chocolates further to determine the true issues related to them, as reported by The New Times.
It is renowned for its unique design, which consists of a collection of connected triangular prisms and text carved in the chocolate.
The brand has been owned by American business Mondelez International since 2012 (successor of Kraft Foods Inc., which had acquired Toblerone from owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990).
Recent reports claimed that Salmonella in the company’s products or plants was to blame for a supply constraint of some brands.
According to Mondelez, audits, cleaning, and disinfection procedures caused several plants’ operations to be interrupted.
However, a Mondelez statement said the safety of products and consumers’ health is always the highest priority.
“As a precautionary measure, the company decided to temporarily stop the production of some products; this will limit the availability of some of its biscuits brands in France.
“Mondelez International ensures with confidence that all its biscuits on the market are safe, do not contain Salmonella, and do not raise any food safety concerns,” the statement said.
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