Saudi Arabia tests for pork traces in Cadbury chocolates

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority said in a statement published on its website that it had taken samples of Cadbury chocolates from the local market to test for contamination of pork.

RIYADH // Saudi Arabian authorities are testing chocolate bars made by the British confectioner Cadbury for traces of pork DNA after two of its products in Malaysia were found to violate Islamic standards.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority said it had taken samples of Cadbury chocolates from the local market to test for contamination.

Pork is strictly prohibited in Islam.

A statement published on the Saudi food authority’s website said Cadbury products sold in Saudi Arabia were not manufactured in Malaysia, but added that “strong measures” would be taken if the chocolates tested revealed any traces of pork.

The scandal over the ingredient discovered in Malaysian Cadbury chocolates has sparked outrage among some Muslim groups in the country, who have called for a boycott on all products made by the company and its parent, Mondelez International.

On Friday, Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation, also said it was testing Cadbury products to check if they complied with Islamic standards.

Malaysian authorities say it is unclear if the contamination of two varieties of Dairy Milk chocolate bar with pork was Cadbury’s fault or was a result of “external factors”.

Cadbury Malaysia said it had withdrawn the two products as a precaution and that it had no reason to believe there was pork-related content in its other foods.

“We stand by our halal certification and we have the highest levels of product labelling standards,” it said.

* Reuters