Food Safety Agency orders temporary closure of Ferrero factory and recalls all Kinder products made there
The Federal Food Safety Agency (FAVV) has provisionally withdrawn the operating licence of the Ferrero factory at Arlon in Luxembourg Province. In a press statement released on Friday afternoon FAVV says that all products from Ferrero’s Kinder range that were produced in Arlon are being recalled "regardless of their lot number or their expiry date."
At the beginning of this week Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs were recalled. Dozens of people across Europe had become infected with salmonella after eating Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs produced at Ferrero’s Arlon factory.
After a long silence, Ferrero finally issued a statement on Thursday saying that the source of the contamination had been found in a filter. The company added that it had taken measures to prevent any potentially contaminated chocolate from leaving the factory site. However, despite these measures, contaminated chocolate ended up in the shops is currently the subject of an investigation.
Permission to operate suspended
On Friday afternoon FAVV announced that permission for Ferrero’s Arlon factory to continue operating is being suspended. FAVV’s Hélène Bonte told VRT News that "We have determined that the company is unable to provide us a complete account of the incident. So, we have no guarantees that the plant is being well-managed and hence so there is no guarantee that its products are safe. A measure like this is not taken lightly".
"The present circumstances leave us with no choice as the food safety of the public is our top priority. We have informed our counterparts abroad so that they can see whether they should also take measures", Ms Bonte added.
"FAVV is closely following all measures that Ferrero is taking and will only allow the reopening of the factory if Ferrero can provide the necessary guarantees that it complies with the rules and regulations on food safety", FAVV said in its press release.
All Kinder products are being recalled
Meanwhile, all products from Ferrero’s Kinder range that were produced at Arlon are being recalled. These are Kinder Surprise, Kinder Surprise Maxi, Kinder Mini Eggs and Schoko-bons. The recall applies regardless of their batch number or their expiry date.
FAVV has also asked retailers to remove these products from their shelves. Anyone who has the above-mentioned products in stock is requested to contact Ferrero. "It's up to the company to decide whether to take back or refund these products," FAVV’s Hélène Bonte told VRT News.
Consumers that have questions can contact Ferrero's Customer Service via Consumer.Service.benelux@ferrero.com or by calling 0800 21042.