What exactly happened to KINDER?
The European Health Agency announced on Wednesday (6/4/2022) that it is launching an investigation into dozens of suspected cases of salmonella linked to chocolate consumption in at least nine countries. A large number of salmonella infections have been linked to the consumption of KINDER partner products and more specifically Kinder Schokobons and Kinder Surprise Maxi products. 105 confirmed cases were found in several EU countries, which led to a precautionary recall of these batches produced by the Belgium-based factory.
Who is to blame?
The outbreak of infections is attributed to a problem at the Ferrero Rocher factory in Arlon, Belgium. It was caused by a faulty filter in tanks at the factory that should have been fixed by last December, blaming company officials for a lack of control.
This event is a public crisis, the information about the contamination was immediately made public, so an immediate reaction from Ferrero Rocher was necessary both for the company’s image and to deal with the crisis itself. The crisis immediately turned into an incident as it concerned safety and health issues, as it endangered a part of the consumers and its solvency.
What were the incidents that led to the crisis?
By 5 April 134 cases had been identified. All cases recorded so far are under 18 years old, with an overwhelming 60% being children under 5 years old and most being girls. The first case was detected in Britain on 7 January. As well as England, cases have been identified in France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Ireland, while Italy is also testing whether some of its analytical results are linked to the single-phase Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak.
In France, authorities were informed by the Pasteur Institute’s National Salmonella Reference Centre of 21 cases of salmonellosis across the country, eight of whom were hospitalised but have already been discharged. The average age of the patients was four years old. In Sweden, the four cases of salmonellosis involved children who were sick between January and March and live in different areas. In Norway, the only patient became ill at the end of February and was infected with the same type of monophasic Typhimurium salmonella found in Britain. Here is a real-life example from an incident, as described by a mother in Britain via her Facebook account, of the symptoms her three-year-old daughter developed after consuming one of Kinder’s chocolate products. According to what Charlotte Wingfield reported, little Brooklyn May “has been so bad since I picked her up from nursery on Monday. Because I had been sick the week before, I thought she got it from me. But she ended up sleeping 21 hours a day.”
She went on to say that the three-year-old “had a fever that exceeded 39° C. I talked to the pediatrician, we thought it was a virus, but three days later it was confirmed that she had salmonella from the Kinder chocolate products she had eaten on Sunday. In a total of 96 hours, she was awake for 12–14 hours total, but even then, she was… elsewhere. She had no energy, even though she is a very energetic child.”
Governments and consumer organisations have accused Ferrero of a lack of communication and avoidance of responsibility. On the contaminations first discovered by British authorities on January 7, the company remained silent and ended up with a list of products recalled several days later. Reasonable questions from journalists went unanswered.
Statements were published about the incident:
Ferrero defended its position with the following statement: ‘We have followed all procedures. We have gone through all the procedures. We continue to investigate why people became ill,” said spokeswoman Laurence Evrard, assuring that production is now safe. “Since we discovered the problem, we have increased the number of inspections. We are checking more than officially required. Since January we have already carried out 2,000 checks. We do not find salmonella in our factory or in our products.”
He followed up with another statement, apologetic and taking responsibility : “Ferrero acknowledges that there were internal inefficiencies, creating delays in the recovery and timely exchange of information. This affected the speed and efficiency of the investigations. The factory will only reopen once it has been certified by the authorities,” the company said in a statement. “We deeply regret this matter. We want to sincerely apologize to all our consumers and business partners and wish Measures will be implemented at local level to support consumers in relation to the recall process. This is the only and the right decision to take in order to ensure the highest level of food safety and to eliminate the risk of further contamination.
We deeply regret what has happened. We wish to sincerely apologise to all our consumers and trading partners and thank the food safety authorities (in Belgium) for their valuable guidance.
Food safety, quality and consumer care have been at the heart of Ferrero since the company was founded. This serious event touches the core of what we stand for and we will take every necessary action to maintain the full trust and loyalty of our consumers.”
Ferrero expressed its regret and sincerely apologised to both consumers and trading partners, while at the same time deeply thanking the food safety authorities in Belgium for their valuable guidance.
What are the key actions for prevention and consumer protection?
In addition, it has suspended the operation of the Arlon plant in Belgium and extended the recall of Kinder products produced at this plant. More specifically:
The production of Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schokobons, which were produced at the Arlon plant, has been withdrawn.
Ferrero acknowledged that there were internal inefficiencies that led to delays in the timely retrieval and transmission of information. The plant in question will be reopened as soon as it is certified by the authorities.
The recall affected only Kinder products produced at the Arlon plant, which accounts for approximately 7% of the total volume of Kinder products produced annually.
In addition, it suspended the operation of the Arlon plant in Belgium and extended the recall of Kinder products produced at that plant. More specifically:
- The production of Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schokobons, which were produced at the Arlon plant, has been withdrawn.
- Ferrero acknowledged that there were internal inefficiencies that led to delays in the timely retrieval and transmission of information. The plant in question will be reopened as soon as it is certified by the authorities.
- The recall affected only Kinder products produced at the Arlon plant, which accounts for approximately 7% of the total volume of Kinder products produced annually.
The products recalled:
Following the closure of Ferrero’s Belgian factory in Arlon and the discontinuation of Kinder products, Kinder Schokobons and Kinder Surprise, the company has suffered the financial consequences and the loss of its reputation and reputation.As in some countries regular checks on products on the market are not possible, consumers are advised to contact the authorities with any questions or queries.
Results:
Kinder, having made its statements and having taken action following the incident, can only wait for further unwanted incidents of infection to occur and ensure that no similar event occurs in the future so that it can recover in the market.
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