Choc bars scare: two in hospital

SYDNEY - Two people who ate Mars and Snickers bars have sought hospital treatment with stomach complaints after the chocolate brands were targeted in a contamination threat.

Manufacturer MasterFoods ordered a massive product recall in New South Wales on Friday, after receiving a letter claiming seven Snickers and Mars bars had been contaminated in the Sydney area.

It was one of three threatening letters received at the manufacturer's head office in Ballarat in Victoria since June 8 which contained threats against an unknown Sydney company.

MasterFoods regional president Andy Weston-Webb said 19 people who had eaten the chocolate snacks called the hotline complaining of stomach aches, headaches and diarrhoea.

Two people complaining of vomiting sought medical attention at a Sydney hospital but were not admitted, he added.

"We are not certain of the connections ... there is no pattern between the different expressions of people who have been ill.

"We do need to investigate whether there is a pattern. It's possible it has been linked to this, it's of course possible that it isn't ... people do fall ill for a variety of reasons."

Efforts to remove the chocolate bars from NSW shelves were stepped up over the weekend, with MasterFoods contacting more than 6000 stores and removing more than 4000 charity boxes from NSW organisations.

The manufacturer yesterday focused on removing the bars from vending machines and continued its customer awareness campaign with full-page advertisements in Sydney newspapers.

Weston-Webb defended the company over claims it had not acted quickly enough to warn the public about the contamination threat.

"I think we acted in an entirely proper way. At all points we've consulted the police and health authorities very carefully, we've co-operated with their investigation," he said.

Weston-Webb said the first letter arrived on June 8 with a contaminated Snickers bar and contained threats against a Sydney company which was not connected with MasterFoods.

The letter said the threats would be carried out if certain future demands were not met and the company gave it to police for investigation, he said.

Weston-Webb said a second letter, received on June 15, was also given to police after it contained threats against the same organisation but posed no public danger.

He said the company did not know why it had been caught up in the contamination threat, but believed Snickers and Mars bars were chosen at random.

He would not give details about the unknown Sydney company or the nature of the threats contained in the letters.

- AAP