An international recall of a range of chocolate bars has been announced by Mars because of fears that customers could choke on pieces of plastic.

The recall, which affects 55 countries, could end up costing the company tens of millions of dollars.

Mars announced the recall after a customer found a piece of red plastic in a Snickers bar bought in Germany on 8 January. After he complained to the company, the plastic was traced back to its factory in the southern Dutch town of Veghel, where it was determined that the piece came from a protective cover used in the manufacturing process.

Products affected include bars of Mars, Milky Way, Snickers, Celebrations and Mini Mix, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the company. The recall was a "voluntary" one and was being done as a precautionary measure, spokespeople for Mars said.

A spokeswoman for Mars in the UK said Britain was "hardly impacted" and that the recall related only to fun-size packs. Mars was unable to give figures for the number of products which would have to be taken off shelves.

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