The Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) announced on Tuesday that, according to an analysis by the AGES reference center for salmonella, between January and March six people, including five children between the ages of three and six, were likely infected with the same strain of salmonella .
The genetic examinations have already been completed for five isolates, and the final examinations are still ongoing in one case, reported AGES, which has now been commissioned by the Ministry of Health to clarify the nationwide food-borne disease outbreak.
The recall includes Kinder Surprise (Maxi), Kinder Schokobons (White), Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder (Maxi) Mix and Kinder Happy Moments products manufactured at the Arlon (Belgium) plant and already on the market. Since none of these Ferrero products should be found in stores at the moment, the health authorities are once again urgently advising that purchased products should not be eaten, AGES wrote on Tuesday.
- Ferrero recall: These products are affected
Bacterium discovered in buttermilk tank
According to EU authorities, the salmonella outbreak around Ferrero chocolate products may be related to the processing of buttermilk at the affected plant in Belgium. During the factory operator’s own checks in Arlon, the bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium was discovered in a buttermilk tank in December 2021, the EU health authority ECDC announced on Tuesday about its ongoing investigations. The company has implemented hygiene measures and increased sampling and testing of the products and the processing environment. After negative salmonella tests, the chocolate products were then sold throughout Europe and worldwide.
119 cases confirmed in Europe
In a joint assessment of the outbreak, ECDC and the EU food safety authority EFSA wrote that by Friday last week 119 confirmed and 31 suspected cases had been registered in a total of ten European countries – not including Austria. The Salmonella strain (multi-resistant S. Typhimurium monophasic MLVA 3-11-14-NA-0211 sequence type 34) is associated with Ferrero Kinder Schokolade branded products manufactured in Arlon, Belgium. The first positive sample was taken in Great Britain on December 21, where an increase in cases of infection was reported in mid-February.
The Belgian supervisory authority Afsca stopped the production of Ferrero in a factory in Belgium on Friday. The Belgian public prosecutor is investigating against the company. Hundreds of salmonella cases across Europe had previously been linked to sweets produced there. Australia also recalled children’s products made in Belgium last week.
Lots of kids in the hospital
Shortly before Easter, the confectionery manufacturer Ferrero also recalled numerous products in New Zealand due to the possible risk of salmonella. The Food Safety Authority on Tuesday ordered all children’s products made in Belgium to be withdrawn from the market in the Pacific country.
Most of those infected are children under the age of ten, many of whom have had to be hospitalized. The situation will continue to be closely monitored, wrote ECDC and EFSA. Further investigations are needed at the plant to identify the root cause, timing and possible factors behind the contamination. The children’s chocolate manufacturer Ferrero had to close the factory on official orders. All Kinder chocolate products manufactured and shipped from Arlon have been recalled. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, vomiting and fever.
Source: Nachrichten
