Hershey's factory remains closed as investigation continues

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing its investigation into a salmonella outbreak at a Hershey chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, Ont., officials said Tuesday.

"There's been no change since yesterday, the plant is still closed," said CFIA spokesman Garfield Balsom on Tuesday. "We have conducted a recall of the affected product as of early Sunday morning and the investigation is still ongoing."

The company, which employs 500 workers, shut down production and issued a recall of 25 products after a routine inspection inside the plant detected salmonella last Thursday. Company officials said they believe an ingredient from an outside supplier may have caused the contamination.

Most of the candy is believed to have been contained at distribution and warehouse centres and was not sent to retailers, according to the CFIA.

"There was a limited amount of product that was actually at retail level," Balsom said on Monday. "The majority of the product is being contained at distribution and warehouse levels."

The products involved in the recall can be identified by date codes ranging from 6417 to 6455 found on the back of each package.

Recalled products include:

• Hershey Chipits Milk Chocolate Chips - 270 g.
• Hershey Creamy Milk Chocolate With Almonds - 43 g.
• Hershey Creamy Milk Chocolate - 45 g.
• Oh Henry! - 62.5 g; 62.5g/4 bars; 145 g.
• Oh Henry! Bites - 130 g.
• Oh Henry! Peanut Butter - 60 g.
• Hershey Chipits Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - 350 grams; 2 kg.
• Hershey Chipits Semi-Sweet Mint Chocolate Chips - 300 g.
• Hershey Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - 300 g.
• Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate - 45 g.
• Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate with Almonds - 43 g.
• Reese Peanut Butter Cups - 51 g; 68 g; 51 g/4 bars.
• Lowney Cherry Blossom - 45 g.
• Glosette Peanuts - 45 g.
• Glosette Almond - 42 g.
• Glosette Raisin - 50 g; 145 g.
• Hershey's Chocolate Shell Topping - 177 ml.
• Eat-More Dark Toffee Peanut Chew - 56 g; 56 g/4 bars.
• Lowney Bridge Mix - 52 g; 340 g.
• Hershey Assorted 16 count - 728 g.
• Hershey Assorted 50 count - 2.5 kg.
• Hershey Chipits Mini Chocolate Chips - 300 g; 10 kg (Bulk); 175 g; 500 g.
• Hershey Chipits Chocolate Chip Bulk - 10 kg (Bulk).
• Nut Roll - 5 kg (Bulk).
• Hershey Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - 10 kg (Bulk).

No products produced for Halloween or Christmas are affected, saidcompany officials.

Foods tainted with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but the bacteria can cause symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. People with weak immune systems are also particularly vulnerable to salmonella poisoning.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the Hershey products.

Thisis the third recallin five years, linkingchocolate with salmonella. In 2001, about 300 people were sickened by German chocolate tainted with the bacteria.

Last summer,aspate of salmonella cases in children along with evidence of salmonella at a chocolate factory prompted Cadbury to recall a million chocolate bars in Britain and Ireland.

Cadbury said a batch of chocolate was contaminated with waste water from a leaking pipe at its factory in Marlbrook, Western England.