Kinder recalls chocolate eggs after salmonella cases

PARIS

Italian confectionery group Ferrero said on April 5 it has recalled Kinder chocolate eggs in seven European countries over possible links to dozens of salmonella cases less than two weeks before Easter.

While none of the toy-filled Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs or other products has been proven to contain salmonella, Ferrero told AFP that it issued the recall as a precautionary step.

It concerns products from Ferrero’s factory in the Belgian town of Arlon that were put on sale in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

British authorities warned the public on April 2 about the Kinder products “in connection with a potential link to a salmonella outbreak” that included children and said Ferrero had issued a recall as a “precautionary step.”

An official said on April 5 that the number of salmonella cases in Britain had now risen to 63.

In France, 21 cases have been reported and 15 of those indicated having eaten the Kinder products that have now been recalled, according to the French public health service.

The median age of those stricken is 4 years old.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause symptoms including diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps in humans, and is one of the most common food-borne infections.

The recall concerns the original 20-gram Kinder Surprise milk chocolate egg that contains a small plastic capsule with a toy inside, as well as a larger 100-gram version, with last sale dates between the end of June and end of October 2022.

Kinder Schoko-Bons, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Happy Moments, Kinder Mix and a number of other products have also been recalled.

The Kinder recall follows close on the heels of a recall by Nestle of its Buitoni Fraich’up frozen pizzas in France following several severe cases of E. coli among consumers.