LONDON, July 22 (UPI) -- London-based Cadbury's may face criminal prosecution after its chocolate was tied to an outbreak of food poisoning, the Times of London reported Saturday.
"Now that a connection has been established between the (salmonella) outbreak and Cadbury's, it is almost inevitable that a criminal prosecution will be brought under the Food Safety Act 1990," attorney Hilary Ross of the British lawfirm charged with investigating the case told the Times.
Cadbury's and its board of directors may also likely face additional prosecution for failure to report the outbreak, she said.
At least 37 people, including many toddlers and others under age 10, became ill with a rare strain of salmonella montevideo after eating Cadbury's chocolate.
Cadbury's knew its chocolate bars contained salmonella, but decided to distribute them anyway because it felt the health risks were so low that the products were safe, the Times said. The recall has cost $9.3 million so far.
Britain's Food Standards Agency said other infected Cadbury's products might still be on the market since the suspect base ingredient was used in as many as 43 product lines.
Cadbury's would not say what other products may be affected, the Times said.
