KINDER REMINDER. Ferrero is implementing a recall of many Kinder products, including Kinder Surprise eggs and Schoko-bons for suspected salmonellosis found in people who have recently consumed Kinder chocolates. What are the risks, which batches are the subject of this recall? Here is the list and all the info.
[Mis à jour le 5 avril 2022 à 13h53] Be careful if you have recently purchased Kinder chocolates, especially in view of the upcoming Easter holidays. The Ministry of Health at published an alert this Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in the wake of a first communication from the Ferrero group. The Ferrero firm, which has Kinder and Nutella among its flagship brands, launched this campaign after several cases of salmonellosis were reported among consumers who had recently eaten Kinder chocolates. In a statement also published this Tuesday, April 5, Ferrero says it is collaborating with public authorities including the DGCCRF “on a potential link with reported cases of salmonella”. This Ferrero withdrawal-recall only concerns Kinder brand products, which are still very popular during the Easter holidays scheduled for the weekend of April 16, 17 and 18, 2022 this year.
A list of recalled products was quickly released and can be found below. Several hundred tons of chocolate are concerned since the batches would be numerous. All of the recalled products are made in Belgium, in the Arlon factory, where 46,000 tonnes of chocolate were produced in 2017 according to the brand. The Belgian subsidiary of Ferrero specifies on its website that this production site “today has 8 production lines and manufactures Kinder Schoko-Bons exclusively for the whole world.”
- Kinder Surprise : boxes containing 20 gram Kinder Surprises (the classic format sold all year round) are concerned, whether Kinder Surprise eggs are sold by one, three, four or by box of six. All batches with consumption dates ranging from the end of June 2022 to the end of October 2022 are concerned.
- Kinder Surprise Maxi 100 grams : these larger eggs, sold during the holidays, are also concerned, with the same expiry dates: from the end of June 2022 to the end of October 2022.
- Kinder Schoko-Vouchers : all formats are concerned for batches with expiry dates ranging from the end of April 2022 to the end of August 2022.
- Kinder Mini Eggs : all batches are also concerned with expiry dates ranging from the end of April to the end of August.
- Kinder Happy Moments : this concerns 193 gram packaging (boxes) with an expiry date of the end of August 2022.
- KinderMix : are concerned the “plush” pack 133 grams and the “egg hunt basket” 150g and Bucket 198 grams, with expiry dates at the end of August 2022.
The brand ensures that “none of our Kinder products placed on the French market has tested positive for salmonella, we have not received any complaints from consumers, nevertheless we take this matter very seriously, because the consumer protection is our top priority.” The brand thus evokes a recall “as a precaution” but Santé Publique France goes further: “in France, the investigations carried out by Santé Publique France have revealed the consumption of certain Kinder brand products subject to this withdrawal-recall in the days preceding the appearance of symptoms in the 15 patients who could be questioned at this time”, specifies a press release published on the Public Health France website. If no proof has been provided for the time being, several children have fallen ill and had the common point of having consumed it very recently, which has fueled fears of contamination and led to this recall. The products concerned by this possible contamination are numerous.
The link between these batches of Kinder chocolate and salmonella is for the moment “potential”, Ferrero ensuring that no product has at this stage tested positive. It is about twenty cases of salmonellosis noted by the health authorities in France which caused this recall “as a precaution”. Salmonella (or Salmonella) is a bacterium that can spread and multiply in the digestive system and cause salmonellosis: a food infection that manifests itself in gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach aches. Complications can arise and lead to a generalized infection with fever, typhoid and paratyphoid fever or even sepsis. Most cases of salmonellosis are mild, but depending on the cases and the profile of those infected, sometimes the disease is life-threatening.
It is therefore advisable to monitor children who have consumed Kinder chocolates within forty-eight hours after ingestion. People who have consumed the Kinder products mentioned above and who show symptoms are invited to consult their doctor without delay.
According to the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), which published a statement Tuesday morning, of the 21 cases currently listed, eight have been hospitalized and all have now returned home. “The median age of cases is 4 years old”, detail the authorities.
If you have purchased any Kinder products listed above, the Department of Health asks that you “do not consume them and dispose of them immediately”. If you wish to obtain a refund, take a photo of the packaging as well as the product references present on this same packaging. You are invited to report it by calling the number provided by Ferrero or by writing to the email address provided:
- the telephone number set up by Ferrero is as follows: 0800 65 36 53 (freephone).
- the contact email address is: [email protected]
You will be asked for the expiry date and the barcode number in particular. This contact will also make it possible to initiate a request for reimbursement.