WARNING letters have been sent to sweet dealers and school tuck shops in a North-East town asking them to withdraw certain jelly sweets which could choke children.

The Food Standards Agency made the request to Darlington Borough Council, among others in a bid to withdraw the fruit sweets containing the ingredient konjac.

The agency is repeating its advice that children should not eat the mini-cup fruit jelly products, which have been linked to a number of deaths from choking around the world.

They include a young child in the UK last month and although the exact cause is subject to an inquest, the fear is that a jelly sweet may have been a factor.

The worry is that children tend to suck and effectively inhale the sweet, which contains a soft, slippery type jelly and usually a hard, fruit flavoured gum at the centre.

The jellies contain konjac, which does not dissolve easily and could stay stuck in the throat, increasing the risk of choking.

Brand names include ABC Mini Fruit Bites, Fuji Cononut Flavour Jelly, Healthy Konnyaku Jelly, Jin Jin Konjac Coconut Mini Gel Snack, New Choice Mini Fruit Gels, New Century's Choice, Rolin Mango Jelly Cup and Troofy Gels.

Manufacturers include Mong Lee Shang (China) Fruit Jelly and Jian Fu Trading Co (Taiwan) Lychee Jelly.

The jellies are in cups about the size of individual mini-pots of milk or coffee creamer, with a rounded edge and sealed with a foil lid.