Belgium allows reopening of Kinder factory affected by salmonella

Belgian health authorities announced on Friday that they had given the go-ahead for the reopening, for a trial period, of the Ferrero factory in Arlon, where Kinder eggs contaminated with salmonella were produced.

The Federal Agency for Food Safety in Belgium (AFSCA) “has decided to give Ferrero conditional authorization for its production plant in Arlon”, in the south of the country, the official said in a statement.

This authorization lasts for three months, during which each ingredient will be analyzed before the chocolates are distributed and sold.

“This reopening comes after an in-depth cleanup and food safety checks carried out in close collaboration” with the agency, the company said.

In early April, on the eve of Easter, the group made a “recall” of all products manufactured at its Arlon unit. The measure was taken after the emergence of several cases of salmonellosis, possibly linked to the consumption of chocolates in several European countries.

After the cases in Europe, the preventive withdrawal of Kinder products also extended to the United States and Argentina.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicated that, as of June 3, there were 392 confirmed and 22 probable cases of salmonella identified in EU countries and the UK.

The company is accused of having reacted late to the problem detected in December and faces several judicial investigations.

Can chocolate have salmonella?

The wave of cases in Europe has shown that the hen’s egg is not the only one that can have salmonella. Chocolate eggs can also carry the bacteria, which is one of the main causes of food poisoning.

According to Mariza Landgraf, a researcher at the Food Research Center (FoRC) at USP, the main source of contamination is raw foods, such as undercooked chicken, eggs, as well as fruits, unpasteurized milk and sea—depending on where they were captured.

In the case of chocolate, the bacteria can contaminate the cocoa bean and remain in the subsequent stages of processing until the candy is obtained.

“Salmonella does not multiply in chocolate because there is not enough water available for it to do so. However, it remains alive and, even in small numbers, it can cause illness”, he explains.

In these cases, cooking may not be enough to eliminate the bacteria, as it is a food with a high fat content.

“The fat protects the microorganisms when the food is submitted to heating. What could have happened [no caso do Kinder] is that, even being present in the cocoa, the fat itself protected the salmonella”, says the researcher.

Salmonella in chocolate is rare in Brazil

According to Anvisa, in recent years, there have been no cases of contamination in chocolates in Brazil that would lead to the need for preventive measures by the agency.

In Landgraf’s view, episodes of salmonella in the product can be considered rare — which is good news, as avoiding the risk is more complicated.

“Unfortunately, in this case, it is drastic: avoiding ingestion of chocolates. But so far, we have no news of the problem in Brazil and we hope it continues that way”, he says.

Collaborated with Thiago Bethônico