A police raid targeted the Ferrero factory in Arlon, in southern Belgium, where the scandal that led to the withdrawal of thousands of tons of Kinder products started.
Six searches were carried out on Wednesday in Belgium and Luxembourg in the investigation of the Belgian justice on the intoxication with salmonella which splashes the giant of the confectionery Ferrero, announced the parquet floor of Arlon (south). One of these police raids targeted the Ferrero factory in Arlon, in southern Belgium, where the scandal that led to the withdrawal of thousands of tons of Kinder products started.
Closed since April 8 by decision of the health authorities, the factory has still not restarted its production. The entire Kinder range produced there (Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schoko-Bons) was recalled in April.
In addition to Arlon, two other searches are taking place in Brussels, and three in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where the group founded in Italy has its head office, said in a statement Anne-Sophie Guilmot, spokesperson for the Belgian provincial prosecutor’s office. of Luxemburg.
“Documents and computer equipment” were seized but there were no arrests, added Ms. Guilmot. At this stage no one has been charged.
The investigation led since April 19 by an investigating judge from Arlon aims to determine the responsibilities in this contamination with possible shortcomings in terms of communication to the health authorities.
It targets suspicions of failure to comply with “traceability obligations in the food chain”, “breaches of the legal provisions on the safety and hygiene of foodstuffs”, “involuntary bodily harm” and “non-assistance in person at risk,” the statement said.
The Ferrero group is suspected of having delayed alerting the authorities and recalling its products, when salmonella had been detected at its facilities in Arlon on December 15. The contamination comes from a filter located in a dairy butter tank, according to the multinational.
In mid-April, 150 cases of salmonellosis had been detected in nine European countries including France, mainly in children under ten years old.
Salmonellosis causes symptoms similar to those of sometimes acute gastroenteritis: diarrhea and abdominal cramps, slight fever, even vomiting. No deaths have been reported.
The investigation mainly targets SA Ferrero Ardennes, which operates the Arlon plant. The subsidiaries in the Grand Duchy also searched on Tuesday are “Ferrero International SA, Ferrero Trading Lux SA and Ferrero Management Services Luxembourg”, according to the prosecution.