Cadbury Schweppes has recalled seven products due to possible salmonella contamination.

The affected products are Cadbury Dairy Milk Turkish 250g, Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel 250g, Cadbury Dairy Milk Mint 250g, Cadbury Dairy Milk 8-chunk, Cadbury Dairy Milk 1kg, Cadbury Dairy Milk Button Easter Egg 105g and Cadbury Freddo 10p.

The confectionery giant said that the recall was a precautionary measure as some of the products could contain minute traces of salmonella.

Simon Baldry, UK managing director for Cadbury Schweppes, said: “We've been making chocolate for over 100 years and quality has always come first. We have taken this precautionary step because our consumers are our highest priority. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

However, reports have criticised Cadbury for only acting on the problem now, despite concerns first raised in January.

At least 53 people are known to have been affected by severe stomach upsets after contracting salmonella montevideo, a rare strain of the disease that contaminated Cadbury's products.

The Health Protection Agency said: “The molecular typing showed that samples from Cadbury were the same as the 53 human cases. We cannot be 100% sure that Cadbury's products caused the disease, but it is a strong possibility.”