Mars has recalled chocolate bars in 55 countries including Ireland after a piece of plastic was found in a Snickers bar in Germany.

The brands affected here are the funsize versions of Mars, Milkyway and variety packs, as well as the 380 gramme boxes of Celebrations. All of the recalled products were made in the Netherlands and have specific expieration dates .

The company has said it is a “precautionary step due to the possibility of plastic contamination” which could present a choking hazard. No complaints of any such contamination have been received in Ireland, while elsewhere there was just one reported incident.

Consumers who have any of the above listed products have been asked not to consume them and to contact the company’s consumer care department.

“This is an isolated incident and only the above products manufactured in the Netherlands are impacted,” the company said in a statement.

“No other varieties of chocolate, pack formats or bar sizes are affected in Ireland and no other best before dates or products manufactured at any other location are impacted.”

It is not known exactly how many products are included in the recall but it is understood to be a relatively small proportion of the overall amount of Mars produce on Irish shelves.

The company is in touch with retailers but it remains unclear how much of the batches affected by the recall has already been purchased by consumers.

The products were mainly were sold in European countries including Germany, France and Britain, and in certain countries in Asia.

The recall, in effect since Monday, follows a January 8th complaint from a consumer in Germany, she said, who found red plastic in a Snickers bar and sent it back to the company. “We cannot be sure that this plastic was only in that particular Snickers,” a spokeswoman from

It was not immediately clear how much the complex recall would cost the company, which is unlisted and therefore does not disclose detailed financial information.

Mars Netherlands said. “We do not want any products on the market that may not meet our quality requirements, so we decided to take them all back.”

It was not immediately clear how much the complex recall would cost the company, which is unlisted and therefore does not disclose detailed financial information. The spokeswoman declined to comment on financial implications of the recall, which is the first to affect the factory employing about 1,200 people.

Consumer product recalls can have big reputational and financial effects, as Nestle learned last year when it recalled its Maggi noodles from India after a package was found to have unsafe levels of lead.

Mars, based in Mount Olive, New Jersey, is one of the world’s biggest food companies, with 29 chocolate brands including M&M’s, Galaxy, Twix, Bounty and Maltesers. Aside from chocolate,

Mars makes Wrigley gum, Uncle Ben’s Rice, Dolmio pasta sauce and Pedigree pet food.

Below are the products affected by the recall in Ireland:

Box of Celebrations 380g with expiration date May 8th 2016.

Box of Celebrations 380g with expiration date July 17th 2016.

Funsize Mix Variety Pack 358g with expiratio date July 24th 2016

Funsize Mars 250g with expiration dates September 4th 2016, September 11th 2016 and September 18th 2016

Funsize Milky Way 227g with expiration date October 2nd 2016

Additional reporting wires