New Delhi: India's food safety regulator has issued an alert to initiate recall and stop the public from consuming chocolates imported from Denmark containing small pieces of plastic, two months after similar action by safety regulators in the European Union.

The Food Safety Standards Authority of India sent a note on Friday to state food safety commissioners and other government agencies listing four products sold under the brand name of Anthon Berg and cautioning the public against inadvertent consumption through online or other sales.

The January 5 note, also sent to the director general of health services, the customs department, and posted on the FSSAI website said: "As there is a risk that the product in question contains small pieces of plastics which may cause choking in children ... it is imperative to start follow-up action including recall."

The note lists Anthon Berg Sweet Moments Marzipan Collection 400g, Anthon Berg Sweet Moments Marzipan Bar Mini 165g, Anthon Berg Marcipanbrod Cognac 40g, and Anthon Berg Marcipanbrod Whiskey 40g, and specifies their barcodes and product codes.

"This information is also being brought to the notice of the public and all stakeholders so that any inadvertent consumption of the implicated product could be avoided as there might be a possibility of this product reaching consumers through online sales or by other means," the notice said.

The European Commission had issued a notification about the plastic fragments in these chocolates from Denmark on November 2, 2017, referencing it as 2017:1823 and "serious." The notification listed India among 40 countries worldwide where the chocolates have been distributed.

The FSSAI sent the January 5 note a day after receiving an alert through the International Food Safety Authorities Network, officials who requested not to be named said. This global network of food safety authorities is managed by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

They said the FSSAI does not currently have information about the quantity of the listed chocolates already imported or distributed in the Indian market. The agency has written to its "authorised officers" at sites of import and customs to determine this, the officials said.

An updated January 2 version of the European Commission's notification suggests that Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among countries that have followed up over the past two months through investigations or other measures.

The original notification lists Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates among other countries where the chocolates have been imported.