The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is continuing to work with the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland – as well as international public health and food safety authorities – to investigate an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella linked to certain Kinder products produced by the Ferrero Group.
Full details on the products affected and the recall can be found here.
As a result of the continued investigation into an outbreak of salmonella cases linked to Kinder products, Ferrero has extended its recall to include all Kinder products manufactured at their Arlon site in Belgium between June and the present date.
These include Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise 100g and Kinder Schokobons.
The new update means all the products in the recall notice, regardless of best-before date, should not be eaten. The previous recall only covered products with best-before dates up to 7 October 2022.
Full details of the products affected can be found in the latest product recall information notice (8 April). The packaging of recalled products may not refer to the Belgium factory where they were produced and may include a different contact address, so it is important that consumers check their products against the list of products in the recall notice.
Ferrero has suspended all operations at its Arlon plant to aid the ongoing investigation and will only recommence operations once the authorities are satisfied that food manufactured there is safe.
The FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are concerned about delays in Ferrero’s sharing of information during the investigation, which has contributed to time gaps in the recall process and a number of separate recalls having to be undertaken.
However, the FSA and FSS welcome Ferrero’s decision today to extend its precautionary recall and its commitment to supporting the continuing investigation into the root cause of this outbreak.
Tina Potter, Head of Incidents Food Standards Agency, said:
“Consumers should follow the advice in the latest recall notice, which details all of the products which may pose a risk.
“We have emphasised to the business and the authorities in Belgium the importance of taking as precautionary an approach to their recall as possible and trust that they will continue to put consumers’ needs first in any action they take.
“We continue to work closely with UK and international partners, including the UK Health Security Agency and Food Standards Scotland, to establish how this outbreak started and make sure all necessary steps have been taken to prevent further illness.”
As of 13 April, there are 67 cases linked to this outbreak in the UK. The majority of the cases are in children under 5 years of age.
Dr Lesley Larkin, Surveillance Lead, Gastrointestinal Pathogens and Food Safety (One Health) at UKHSA, said:
We would like to thank all the parents who worked with us and other public health authorities in the UK to tell us what their children had eaten prior to becoming unwell – they allowed us to rapidly pinpoint a potential source, which facilitated food chain investigations both in this country and in Europe. We understand this has been a worrying time for these families, and their responses have helped to prevent more children being affected.
Symptoms of salmonellosis typically resolve themselves within a few days. However, symptoms can be more severe, especially in young children, those who are pregnant and those with weakened immune systems.
Anybody with concerns that they have symptoms of salmonellosis should contact their GP or call NHS 111. Salmonella can be spread from person to person as well as from food, so anyone affected should adhere to good hygiene practices, such as washing hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and avoiding handling food for others where possible, if you have symptoms.
