Italian chocolate giant Ferrero said it is still examining its options on a possible bid for Britain's Cadbury PLC , daily La Stampa reported on Sunday.

Cadbury has rejected a $16.2 billion offer from U.S. food group Kraft . U.S.-based Hershey Co and the unlisted family-owned Ferrero have said they were contemplating bids.

Ferrero is still evaluating the possibility of acquiring the British sweets group, the newspaper said, quoting from a company statement. Without citing sources, it however added that Ferrero's interest had cooled.

Ferrero, known for its Nutella spread and Tic-Tac sweets, could not immediately be reached for comment.

In November, Ferrero said it was in the preliminary stages of evaluating options in respect of Cadbury.

(Writing by Nigel Tutt; editing by John Stonestreet)

United kingdom Cadbury