Global confectionery giant Mars has confirmed that it is recalling some of its most popular chocolate products, citing the risk of Salmonella.

The company said that the precautionary recall affects some of its Galaxy milk chocolate bars, as well as some of its Minstrels products and Maltesers Teasers.

The products affected have a ‘best-before’ date of either 6 May 2018 or 13 May 2018, and Mars said that only “a small number of these products” had been distributed in the UK and Ireland.

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“Although we’ve had no related complaints, as a precaution we have made the decision to voluntarily recall the products potentially affected by this issue in order to ensure the safety and confidence of our consumers,” the company said in a statement.

It said that it had “detected the possible presence of Salmonella from the ingredients used in making” some of its products, and said that consumers who have bought them should not eat them but keep them, contact Mars’s consumer care team and arrange return and refund.

A spokesperson said that Mars was “working closely with the relevant food safety authorities” as well as its customers “to ensure that the affected products are no longer available for purchase”.