Glico recalls 20 chocolate products due to smell

Japanese snack manufacturer Ezaki Glico on Monday has announced a voluntary recall of 6 million units of 20 chocolate products, including Pocky Chocolate, due to an unusual, unintended flavor.

The company said the products, mostly marked with best-before dates from May to October next year, pose no health risk.

A warehouse used to store cocoa beans for chocolate production was under renovation, so the beans were temporarily stored in another facility alongside spices, the company said.

During that time, the cocoa beans absorbed the spices’ aroma, causing the chocolate products made with them to have an unintended spiced taste.

The manufacturer apologized, saying it discovered the issue after consumer inquiries and will improve storage rules and inspection procedures.