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Fez – 150 cases of Salmonella, linked to Kinder chocolate, have been reported in nine European countries, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Assessment Security (EFSA).
In a joint press release issued on Tuesday, April 12, the two European agencies said that Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have registered cases of Salmonella presumably caused by Kinder chocolate.
“As of 8 April 2022, 150 cases (119 confirmed and 31 probable) have been reported in nine EU/EEA countries,” said the European agencies in the statement.
The statement went on to mention the number of infected cases in each of the aforementioned European countries, highlighting that the UK tops the list with 65 confirmed cases followed. Following are France (25 cases), Ireland (15 cases), Germany (6 cases), Sweden (4 cases), Luxembourg (1 case), and Norway (1 case).
Meanwhile, Belgium has the highest number of potential infected cases ( 26 in total), followed by Germany (4 cases), and Spain (one case).
Read also: Salmonella in Kinder: Moroccan Food Safety Office Recalls Suspected Batches From Market
In their joint statement, the European agencies further stressed that they are closely monitoring the situation.
These new figures came out just a few days after Belgian authorities ordered the world’s largest chocolate producer, Ferrero, to close its production factory in Arlon, a town in southeastern Belgium.
According to the Belgian food security agency (AFSCA), the production factory is suspected to be behind the salmonella outbreak in several countries across Europe.
As it ordered the recall of the factory’s entire production, the AFSCA stressed that the site will only reopen “once it has been concluded that the establishment complies with all food safety rules and requirements.”
Following the wave of Salmonella cases across Europe, Morocco’s Food Safety Office (ONSSA) announced precautionary measures against certain batches of Kinder chocolate.
The measures include the withdrawal of Fererro products, especially Kinder Surprise products, from both retailers and wholesalers.
