Salmonella and Kinder: the NGO Foodwatch calls for more transparency and more controls

Has the Ferrero group delayed the withdrawal of its Kinder chocolates potentially contaminated with salmonella in order to preserve its sales, during the Christmas period and as Easter approaches? In any case, this is what the NGO Foodwatch denounces, which points to various disturbing elements in this affair.

Chocolates removed from the shelves after 10 to 12 days

According to the NGO, the British authorities informed the Ferrero group of a risk of salmonella contamination of its chocolates on March 23. That is twelve days before the withdrawal of the incriminated products from the shelves of supermarkets in France. And ten days also passed in the UK, before the brand decided to withdraw its products from stores.

An alert given in Belgium last December

The presence of salmonella in chocolates dates back to last December, in Belgium. Indeed, in a press release, the famous chocolate brand recognizes that the “presence of salmonella was reported on December 15, 2021 for its plant in Arlon, Belgium“. And this because of a “filter at the outlet of two tanks of raw materials”. The brand operates the filter changes but does not notify the Belgian authorities, “because unlike France, no legal obligation exists in the country”.

Consumers left in the dark

Why not warn consumers and withdraw the products at that time? More than the geographical argument (the factory being in Belgium, nothing legally obliged it to alert the French authorities), the company declares that “the finished products were blocked and not delivered”. An argument questioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): “After testing negative for Salmonella [la bactérie à l’origine de la salmonellose]the chocolate products were then distributed in Europe and the rest of the world“.

In addition, according to Foodwatch, “chocolates with Christmas dressing, Kinder Maxi 100g and Kinder Maxi Mix 133g and 193g, are indeed affected by the recall”, which the brand confirms. However, they do not appear in France as subject to recalls, unlike Germany, where customers are informed and know that they may have eaten potentially contaminated Kinder chocolates as early as December.

“Why be so discreet?“asks the NGO, which suspects the group of having wanted to preserve its sales for Christmas and Easter, two important periods for chocolate sales.

Alert from health authorities last March

It was not until last March that the link between the cases of salmonellosis and the Belgian factory was established. The United Kingdom already has several declared cases, since December. European health authorities officially warn all European countries of a risk deemed “serious” of contamination, via the food safety alert network. It was only 10 days after this alert, on April 4, that the group decided to withdraw certain incriminated products manufactured in Belgium and still present on supermarket shelves, specifying in its press release: “None of our Kinder products placed on the French market have tested positive for salmonella, we have not received any complaints from consumers”.

21 cases of salmonellosis announced on the same day, April 4

The same day, Public Health France announced that “21 cases of salmonellosis, including 15 with a link already established with the consumption of Kinder products in the days preceding the onset of symptoms”. Children are the main victims, the median age of patients is 4 years. As of April 13, 150 cases have been detected, including 21 in France. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

The Belgian factory was also ordered to close its doors by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (Afsca), which immediately suspended production. The recall of the incriminated products concerns all batches, regardless of their expiry date.

Opening of an investigation by the Belgian justice

On April 11, the Belgian justice opens an official investigation, to determine the responsibilities within the Arlon factory and to know the precise moment of the contamination and possibly the wider use of the contaminated raw materials in other factories.

As a consumer, you can reach the brand by telephone on 0 800 65 36 53 or by email at [email protected], in order to obtain compensation (voucher) for your products. The brand’s consumer service will be open on Easter weekend and the brand recalls that “Kinder products dedicated to Easter are not all affected by the current recall“.

The brand thus recalled which were the products concerned.

And also shared its system for answering consumer questions.