After the disclosure of several cases of salmonella, candy maker Ferrero admitted mistakes in handling recalls of some products. The Italian company on Friday admitted “internal inefficiencies that have caused delays in recalls and information sharing”. Therefore, investigations into the case were not carried out quickly and efficiently, the statement said.
News agencies Ansa and Adnkronos quoted him on Friday night. It was already known that the confectionery giant had to stop production at the Arlon factory in Belgium for the time being. Supervisory authority Afsca announced on Friday that it would revoke the production license as a result of investigations. According to the announcement, Ferrero did not provide enough information for this. In the middle of the Easter business, all products have to be taken out of the factory, regardless of the production date.
Also in Austria, selected batches of children’s products are being recalled or removed from supermarket shelves as a precaution. According to Afsca’s announcement, all Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi, and Schoko-Bons made in Arlon are affected. Afsca also asked all distributors to withdraw related products from points of sale. The Arlon factory will only be able to reopen when all food safety rules and requirements are met. According to Ferrero, the Arlon factory accounts for about 7% of the total volume of children’s products produced worldwide each year. Local solutions would be put in place to help consumers with the recall.
The cause of the contamination of Kinder chocolate with salmonella is believed to have been a filter at the outlet of two raw material tanks at a Belgian factory. Ferrero announced in a broadcast on Friday that the presence of salmonella was detected in Arlon on December 15, 2021. Investigations were then initiated to find the place of origin. On Friday, authorities halted production at Arlon.
Working with several food safety and health authorities in Europe, Ferrero said this showed a genotype comparison between reported cases of salmonella in Europe and the Arlon plant. Once it became clear that the filter was the cause, materials and finished products were blocked rather than released, and the filter was immediately replaced. In addition, “the already high level of controls over semi-finished and finished products has increased significantly”.
“The matter is being investigated in collaboration with the food safety authorities”, assured Ferrero. “The recall, initiated as a precaution and related to products made in Belgium, will be implemented with trading partners in all target countries for the affected batches of Kinder Surprise Eggs, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schokobons.” All other children’s products and Ferrero are not affected by this recall. “We deeply regret this matter and would like to thank the authorities for their continued cooperation and recommendations.”
It is unclear why Ferrero did not withdraw the products already in circulation at the time. Several European countries have collected the children’s products. According to EU authorities, 105 confirmed cases of salmonella and 29 suspected cases have been recorded so far. According to the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), there has not yet been a case in Austria. Christmas items also fall under the affected products.
Earlier this week, cases of salmonella were reported for the first time in Britain and France. In the UK, it was mostly young children who contracted salmonella, the PA news agency reported on Monday. A short time later, Ferrero recalled a few batches of Kinder Surprise Eggs.
Also in France, Ferrero recalled products earlier this week after 21 cases of infection, according to Paris health authorities. According to them, it is genetically the same salmonella that is responsible for an outbreak of salmonella disease in Great Britain and Ireland.
After Australia, the US also recalled the children’s confectionery series. As “Happy Moments Chocolate Assortment” and “Mix Chocolate Treats Basket” may be contaminated with salmonella and therefore pose a potential health risk, Ferrero is voluntarily withdrawing the products from the market, according to a company announcement that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday (local time). ) published. Cases of illness in the US have not yet been reported.
“Salmonella disease manifests within a few days of infection with diarrhea and abdominal pain, sometimes with vomiting and mild fever,” reports the German consumer advice center. In healthy people, symptoms usually disappear after a few days. In certain cases, however, serious illness can occur, especially in infants, young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
(SERVICE – An accurate list of affected products on the AGES homepage at http://go.apa.at/cIPENqh0)