DECORATIVE candles that look too much like food are being removed from shelves on the order of the government, for fears that people might accidentally eat them.
A warning concerning food-imitation candle products was issued yesterday by the Ministry of Commerce, which announced that five such products were being taken off the market. The candles were manufactured to resemble sliced fruit, which the Ministry fears people – specifically children – might confuse for the real thing.
While most of the products have already been recalled, the Ministry cautioned people who had already bought the candles against using them.
The fear is that the candles may be a health risk to buyers and their children, who might confuse them for real food due to the way they were sized, coloured and packaged.
A press release stated that children that licked, swallowed or placed the products in their mouths could potentially face such dangers as suffocation, poisoning, or perforation or obstruction of their digestive tract.
Two of the candle products were imported from Greece by Jumbo Trading Ltd, which has since undertaken their destruction. Most of these – priced at £1.50 – were unsold by the time the government requested their removal.
They include candles – packaged in pairs – shaped in the form of sliced watermelon, and carry the code ZC 206. The others are shaped as slices of orange and sold in sets of six, coded ZC 94-1.
Aktypitos Ltd, which imported two of the other products, has also withdrawn its existing candles, but significantly more have already been sold.
The company imported candles that resembled apples and strawberries, of which only 411 of an imported 1,512 sets were removed from the market in time. These candles, sold in sets of three in packaged punnets at a cost of 0.99, carry the code HB-FS4.
The company also imported 1,566 sets of seven mixed candles, shaped to resemble strawberries, pears, lemons, mandarins, mangoes and both red and green apples. Only 410 of the seven-piece sets were removed before sale. They are said to cost £1.49 and are coded HB-FS7.
The fifth product being recalled is a set of individually packaged candles imported by Iatrides G&D Ltd. The candles are shaped like apples, strawberries, pears, lemons and peaches. Sold under the label VIDAL, they were identified by the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for non-food dangerous products (RAPEX) in Spain.
Eleven of these items were found and confiscated from stores in Limassol, where they were being sold “from £0.69”. They carry the code 0214071.
The Ministry advises consumers to be aware of the dangers of all of these products, and strongly cautions against their continued use. As well as ensuring they are not in proximity of children, it asks the public to inform the Ministry if these products are known to still be on the market.
