After the “internal failures” recognized by the Italian giant Ferrero, it is the turn of two European agencies to question the responsibility of the Kinder Ferrero chocolate factory in Arlon, Belgium. From this “epidemic focus”150 cases “confirmed and probable” of salmonellosis have been “reported” to April 8, alert the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Tuesday.
In their press release, the two European surveillance agencies point the finger at the responsibility of a “Belgian production plant”a few days after the closure of the Belgian site, without mentioning the name of the Italian confectionery giant.
The infections have “produced mainly in children under the age of 10” and have been reported in nine European countries: France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Judicial information opened
On April 5, Ferrero recalled certain batches of Kinder chocolate products manufactured in Belgium in France due to a link “potential” with cases of salmonella. “We take this matter very seriously, as consumer protection is our top priority,” the manufacturer said in a press release. For its part, the Ministry of Health indicated that it had detected 21 cases of salmonellosis.
Monophasic salmonella typhimurium is caused by bacteria called salmonella. It causes symptoms similar to those of sometimes acute gastroenteritis: diarrhea and abdominal cramps, mild fever, even vomiting. At this stage, no deaths have been reported.
According to European experts, further investigations will be “necessary to identify the exact source and precise moment of contamination”and to look into “wider use of contaminated raw materials in other factories”. On Monday, the prosecutor’s office in the province of Luxembourg, in the south of Belgium, announced that it was opening a judicial investigation. It targets the Kinder chocolate factory in Arlon, the source of cases of salmonellosis.