A deep-dive into Kinder’s recent “Salmonella Scandal”

Published in

Crisis Management Simulation Lab by ADandPRLAB at Panteion University

3 min readMay 2, 2022

A brief look at the crisis at hand:

This Easter season, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has announced the initiation of an inquiry into dozens of suspected salmonella incidents linked to chocolate consumption in European countries. At the same time, the corresponding greek entity in charge of Food Consumption (ΕΦΕΤ), has officially proceeded with recalling “Kinder” products from the local market.

According to the ECDC, the outbreak, which is caused by the single-phase ‘Salmonella Typhimurium’ and is constantly spreading, affecting seven EU countries and the United Kingdom with “an abnormally high percentage of kids being affected and treated.”

Some patients get severe clinical symptoms, such as “bloody diarrhea”.

A total of 134 cases have been identified as of April 5th. All of the cases that have been reported thus far have been kids under the age of 18, with the majority of them under the age of five and most of them being girls. At least nine patients have been admitted to hospitals as a result of the outbreak, although no deaths have been reported. The first case was reported in the United Kingdom, on January 7.

Cases were identified in France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway, in addition to the United Kingdom, and Italy is investigating whether any of its analytical results are linked to the single-phase Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak.

Measures taken by the company:

In terms of the measures taken by the company Ferrero, they first announced the recall of Kinder brand products from the Greek and global markets, reporting salmonella cases after the consumption of the following brand products: Kinder Schokobons, Kinder Surprise Maxi of 100gr, Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, among others.

All of the brand’s products manufactured at the Arlon factory in Belgium since June 2021 are being recalled. Meanwhile, consumers who have purchased the above products have been asked not to consume them and to contact the company immediately.

On the behalf of the Belgian Food Safety Authority (AFSCA), the Kinder plant was shut down and Ferrero’s choice to not provide sufficient information on the situation was condemned. The specific action is justified by the Service, as they emphasized the importance of exercising caution, and moving forward with the recall of the products manufactured in the specific factory.

Statements made by the company:

While about 150 cases of salmonella infection have been reported in France, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK, the company has made very few announcements.

The company published the press release on the main website, announcing the withdrawal of some products from the market until the issue is resolved. On the social media accounts of Kinder and Ferrero, the only accounts that asked people not to consume their products, or warned them about the current situation, are the Instagram accounts of Kinder France and Kinder UK & IRL. Kinder and Ferrero’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have not been updated since 2020.

In conclusion, after looking into the crisis at hand, and after the statements made by the Belgian Food Safety Authority (AFSCA), it looks like the current situation could have been handled in a better way. It is apparent, after conducting research on this incident, that the company involved has made some questionable choices regarding the communication of this crisis to their customers, as well as the services that were responsible for this case.

Sources:

Article brought to you by StarTuppers (evadinou, Alexandra S, Sophia A., John Reizis)

Betty Tsakarestou , Mania Xenou

A deep-dive into Kinder’s recent “Salmonella Scandal”

Published in Crisis Management Simulation Lab by ADandPRLAB at Panteion University

Written by Marianina Deligianni