Life> no use

Cadbury to face prosecution over salmonella scare

(AFP)
Updated: 2007-02-15 18:10

British confectionery giant Cadbury reportedly faces prosecution under British and European laws following a salmonella food scare last June.

Citing sources close to the investigation into the incident, where more than a million Cadbury candy bars were taken off the shelves in shops across Britain over fears they may have been contaminated, the Guardian said that officials hope to announce a prosecution before the end of the month.

"Things are coming to a head and evidence is being finalised," an unnamed source was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"It is now a matter of dotting the i's and crossing the t's but, barring any last minute technicalities, we are confident that we will be going ahead."

Cadbury is expected to face charges under British law of producing food unfit for human consumption, and under European law for failing to inform the authorities quickly enough about the extent of the problem.

The contamination with a rare strain of salmonella was traced to a leaking pipe -- since repaired -- at the Marlbrook plant, near Leominster in west central England, which generates 97,000 tonnes of milk chocolate crumb base material every year.

Britain's Health Protection Agency said in the wake of the contamination scare that Cadbury's chocolate was the most likely cause of an infection outbreak in more than 30 people.

It cost the company 30 million pounds (45.1 million euros, 58.4 million dollars), Cadbury said in December.

"We have not been informed of any prosecution," a spokesman for Cadbury was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"We have cooperated fully with the authorities in all their enquiries and we will continue to do so."