The company said the incident involved a Czech consumer reportedly finding an 'alkaline substance' in solid form in the product.
The affected Milka Hazelnut 100g bar has lot number OOA0663132 and date 5/5/2017 and has been withdrawn from the market.
Státní zemědělská a potravinářská inspekce (SZPI/The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Agency) advised consumers not to eat the affected chocolate bar. We have contacted the agency to find out more details about the investigation.
Consumer harmed after eating product
Mondelēz told us a Czech consumer reported the issue and it had received no further consumer or customer complaints.
“We regret that this single consumer has informed us that she has been harmed by eating the affected product. The person was medically checked on the day when it happened and is now on the way to recovery.
"As a matter of industry practice we use milk powder for the production of Milka chocolate and not fresh milk.
"One consumer reported that she had found a single solid particle of an alkaline substance during consumption.
"The alkaline substance is not used or even present in the manufacturing plant, and hence is not used in any shape and form in the manufacturing process of the product. Moreover it is not used in the manufacturing of the ingredients of this product."
It is not clear how the person was harmed or how the alkaline substance was found in the product.
Mondelēz would not tell us the manufacturing location of affected bars or how many could be affected.
Mondelēz: We understand seriousness of incident
The firm said there is no indication it is a widespread issue based on investigations.
“We understand the seriousness of the incident and as soon as we became aware of the potential issue, we took all immediate steps to avoid any potential harm to our consumers and to investigate the root cause of the issue.
“In alignment with the authorities we took all immediate steps to avoid any potential harm to our consumers and to investigate the root cause of the issue. This investigation is ongoing.
"All of our plants have Quality Management Systems and HACCP standards implemented. These control systems are frequently validated internally and also externally by independent parties, such as food inspection authorities and auditors.
“While we are confident in the safety of our products, we made this recall only as a precautionary measure in order to maintain the high degree of consumer trust in our brands. The company fully cooperates with the relevant authorities.“
Mondelēz international has four factories, two business units and a shared service center employing nearly 3,000 people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The portfolio of products on the Czech and Slovak markets include BeBe belVita Dobré ráno, Brumík, Fidorka, Figaro, Halls, Kolonáda, Miňonky, TUC and Zlaté.