Food safety authority in Belgium has confirmed that 62 people were infected with salmonella after consuming Kinder chocolate products made at a Ferrero factory in Arlon in April. In its statement, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) added that no significant increase in the number of infections is expected.
Earlier, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control had reported confirmed cases of salmonella in Europe and the UK linked to the Belgian plant of Ferrero. Following which, the FASFC conducted an investigation along with the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Salmonella, Belgium's Agency for a Quality Life (AViQ) and the Common Community Commission (GGC) Brussels.
The investigation concluded that 62 salmonella people were infected after consuming Kinder chocolate products made at the Ferrero factory in Arlon.
In April, the FASFC had taken a decision to withdraw the factory's authorization to continue operations and allow consumers to return all Kinder products manufactured at that plant. Ferrero submitted a new authorization request to the FASFC at the end of last week.
Whether it will get a provisional authorisation depends on the conclusions of the FASFC's assessment.
Several cases of salmonellosis, an infection caused by a bacteria called Salmonella, have been reported in Europe since end 2021. The bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating contaminated food. Salmonella infection affects the intestinal tract, causing diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. At the end of March, these infections were linked to Kinder chocolate products made by the Ferrero factory in Arlon (Belgium) based on epidemiological data.
By 8 April 2022, 150 cases were reported in nine EU/EEA countries and the UK. Most patients were children below 10 years of age, many of them were hospitalised.
In April, the FASFC identified Kinder chocolate products made by the Belgian plant of Ferrero as the source of this multi-country outbreak of Salmonella.
The agency noted that the link has been confirmed by the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis.
"All necessary measures to protect consumers have been taken. A recall of all Kinder products from the plant has been issued and the plant's authorization to produce food products has been withdrawn," it said in a statement released in April.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) are also conducting investigations to find the source of this outbreak.
With inputs from agencies
