Kinder chocolate, under the brand of Ferrero Photo: IC

Ferrero guarantees its chocolate bars are safe for consumers and the German government hasn't ordered them to be removed from store shelves, domestic news portal china.cnr.cn reported on Sunday.

They absolutely meet or exceed the food safety requirements of all the countries where they are marketed, Ferrero said in a statement on its website on July 12.

Ferrero's comments came after the Germany's Foodwatch found high levels of mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons - a byproduct of the oil refining process - in Ferrero's Kinder Reigel chocolate bars, the UK newspaper Daily Mail reported on July 5.

It has led to calls for the bar to be recalled, following the European Food Safety Agency's comment that it "may be carcinogenic," according to the UK newspaper.

Johannes Heeg, a member of the Foodwatch, recommend consumers do not purchase these products any more, according to a report by china.cnr.cn on Sunday.

The statement of Ferrero noted minimal traces of mineral oils exist almost everywhere in the environment, which affects the packaging of nearly all foods.

"Main migration sources are, for example, mineral oil components from printing inks that are introduced into the packaging recycling cycle and, through transport containing recycled fiber, migrate to raw materials and foods," said the UK newspaper Daily Mail, citing a spokesperson for Ferrero.

All Ferrero packaging fully complies with applicable legislation on food contact materials, continued the Ferrero statement, noting it is working on technical solutions to guarantee the best quality delivery to clients.

But there is yet no specific food safety regulation regarding this matter.

Ferrero called for joint effort at all levels of the food supply chain, including the commodity trade in and outside Europe, noted the Daily Mail.

Other groups say the risk is minimal.

The Association of the German Confectionary Agency said there's no need to recall the products as the amounts of mineral oil found could "be consumed without concern," German news website  thelocal.de reported on July 4.