KINDER. Kinder Surprise, Schoko-bons… Ferrero is withdrawing and recalling hundreds of products as the Ministry of Health warns of cases of salmonellosis observed in people who have recently consumed Kinder chocolates. What are the risks, which brands of chocolate are concerned and which batches are incriminated? Here’s what we know.
[Mis à jour le 5 avril 2022 à 12h37] A few days before Easter, here is a very bad surprise for Kinder chocolate lovers! A few hours after the announcement of a recall campaign launched by the Italian group Ferrero, the French Ministry of Health published an alert this Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in the morning. 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. 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.
In a statement 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”. “None of our Kinder products placed on the French market have tested positive for salmonella, we have not received any complaints from consumers, nevertheless we take this matter very seriously, because consumer protection is our absolute priority”, writes the brand, which evokes a recall “as a precaution”. 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.
The Ministry of Health and the brand have jointly published a list of products currently withdrawn by Ferrero for suspected salmonella. 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 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”. 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. The investigation made it possible to go back to Kinder, according to Santé Publique France: “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 onset of symptoms in the 15 patients who could be questioned at this time”, specifies a press release published on the Public Health France website.
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.
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.