The Iconic Chocolate Bars That Were Once Recalled In 55 Countries

In 2016, a person in Germany bit into a Snickers candy bar (a filling favorite for many chocolate lovers). Along with the sweet chocolate, caramel, nougat, and roasted peanuts, they also discovered a small piece of red plastic. This one event led to a massive recall that affected 55 countries and was just one among the many chocolate recalls that went on to affect millions. The candy giant, Mars, which makes Snickers, tracked the plastic-filled bar back to its production factory in the Netherlands. Because the location also produced multiple other candy bars, Mars opted to issue a voluntary recall to those as well, including its namesake Mars bars, Milky Way, an assorted chocolate mix called Celebrations, and, of course, all Snickers bars that had been produced within a specific time period.

The chocolates (which were mostly fun size and miniatures) produced in the Dutch factory were shipped all over Europe and to some Asian countries. Mars ultimately discovered that the plastic found in the Snickers bar ironically came from a protective cover that was used on the production machinery. Because Mars is privately owned, it wasn't required to disclose how much money it lost from the enormous recall, but it was likely tens of millions of dollars based on similar recall losses. However, had someone been harmed by a piece of plastic in their food, the results could have been devastating on multiple levels.

Chocolates and candy bars can be recalled for various reasons. Any foreign objects found in food (like the plastic in the 2016 Mars incident, or other frightening substances like metal or glass) will result in a recall. In addition, foods can be recalled if evidence of contaminants (like bacteria or hazardous chemicals) is found, if allergens are not disclosed, or if an expiration date is misprinted. In the case of the Mars recall, the person who initially found the plastic in their candy sent the item back to Mars, and there weren't any other reports of anyone being harmed by rogue foreign objects.

Recalled foods can be discovered in numerous different ways. Sometimes, if an item (or batch of items) is affected, it may not come to light for months after it's been produced and sold, so there is a lot of backtracking work to do. But companies do try to act as soon as they suspect an issue with any food products. 

A company can use various methods to notify the public if an item needs to be recalled. It might post the information on its websites or social media channels, send out emails through loyalty schemes, notify the stores that distribute the products, and reach out to the media. This allows brands to reach as many people as possible who may have purchased an affected product.