A global recall of Kinder products – Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schokobons – manufactured in Arlon, Belgium was conducted in April due to reported cases of salmonella occurring in several countries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced in late April that there were 151 cases of salmonella linked to the consumption of Kinder chocolate products in at least 11 countries. WHO said in a statement that bacteria with the same genetic structure as salmonella that infects the human body was detected in some tankers containing raw materials at the Kinder factory in Arlon, Belgium during inspections in December 2021 and January 2022.
It was noted that the necessary hygiene measures were taken at the factory and the salmonella test on the products was negative and the Kinder products produced at the factory in Arlon were then distributed to Europe and the rest of the world.
As of 25 April, 151 salmonella cases suspected to be linked to Kinder products were detected worldwide, with 65 of these in England, 26 in Belgium, 25 in France, 10 in Germany, 15 in Ireland, 4 in Sweden and 2 in the Netherlands. Almost 90% of the cases were among children under the age of 10 and severe symptoms such as vomiting, nausea and bloody diarrhea were observed in 21 cases. Fortunately, there were no loss of life due to the salmonella infection.
In Hong Kong, the product, Kinder Happy Moments Mini Mix (162g packaging), had been imported from Belgium into the territory by Hongkong Ehigo E.commerce Co Ltd for re-export to mainland China. Fortunately, all the imported products were still stored inside a warehouse and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) had instructed the operator to dispose all the affected products.
Meanwhile, Singapore Food Agency had directed major supermarkets like Cold Storage Singapore to recall all Kinder chocolate snacks that came from Belgium. Importers like RedMart, Le Petit Depot, Kaimay Trading, Heinemann Asia-Pacific, Focus Network Agencies and Walluco were also directed to recall the affected products.
In other Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, the Kinder brand of chocolate snacks imported are mostly manufactured in India and not from Belgium.
Ferrero, the producer of many iconic confectionery brands including Kinder, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher takes serious consideration on food safety and regrets of this incident. Ferrero has a consolidated turnover of over €11.4 billion (US$11.9 billion), and is a market leader for sweet confectionery products in the world.
