A French supermarket chain said on Wednesday it was withdrawing pasta noodles from some of its 440 shops nationwide after finding traces of rat poison in one batch. Systeme U urged customers to check their purchases after it discovered five one-kilogram (2.2-lb) packets of its own-brand "U" noodles contained small red grains identified as a rat poison commonly used in warehouses in the retail business. "We urge customers not to eat these packets and to return them for a refund," Systeme U said in a statement. It said it had begun clearing the product from the shelves this week at stores in north and central France. The company said it was taking advice on the health risks to humans of ingesting the poison. It did not say in the statement whether it knew of anyone who had eaten the contaminated packets.
