More bad news for Ferrero. 2021 Kinder brand Advent calendars that have not been consumed should not be consumed. The government has announced that they are also affected by the presence of salmonella. A little too late, surely.
A total of 150 cases of salmonellosis have been detected in nine European countries including France, two European surveillance agencies, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control ( ECDC).
The infections have “occurred mainly in children under ten years old” and have been reported in nine European countries: France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.
In December 2021, according to EFSA and ECDC, the Kinder factory in Arlon had detected the bacteria in a tank of buttermilk during its own checks. “The company had then put in place hygiene measures and reinforced sampling as well as tests on the products and on the processing environment. After negative tests, the chocolate products were then distributed in Europe and the rest of the world, ”details the press release.
It was only at the end of March that scientists were able to link the human cases of infection to the Belgian establishment “thanks to advanced molecular typing techniques”. And starting April 2, public health warnings were issued in several countries as the company proceeded with product recalls.