The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) continues to monitor the development of the situation regarding the appearance salmonella in chocolate products and encourages Member States to be vigilant about new cases, but also to investigate human infections with strains that have resistance profiles to many drugs.
Experts from ECDC and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) have concluded that further investigations are needed at the Arlon production plant in Belgium to identify the underlying cause, time and possible factors behind the contamination, including assessing the possibility of wider use of contaminated raw materials in other processing plants.
The ECDC offers sequencing support for countries with limited or no genome sequencing capability.
In addition, the ECDC further encourages public health authorities to work closely with food safety authorities in affected countries.
As of April 8, 2022, 150 cases (119 confirmed and 31 probable) have been reported in nine EU / EEA countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden) and in the United Kingdom. The first case was sampled on 21 December 2021 in the United Kingdom.
It is noted by the ECDC that most cases are children under 10 years old, with many being treated.
In December 2021, Salmonella Typhimurium was found in a buttermilk tank in a Belgian facility during inspections by the manufacturer itself. The company has implemented a number of hygiene measures and increased sampling and control of products and the processing environment. Following a negative salmonella test, we distributed chocolate products throughout Europe and worldwide.
At the end of March 2022, following the availability of data, scientists linked human cases to Belgium through advanced molecular standardization techniques.
As of April 2, 2022, the competent national authorities have started issuing public health warnings. The company did voluntary recall of specific products in different countries. On April 8, 2022, the Belgian Food Safety Authority carried out official factory inspections and withdrew the company’s production license. In addition, the company recalled all batches of products produced at the Arlon plant, regardless of batch number or expiration date.
Global recalls and withdrawals will reduce the risk of further infections. However, because molecular standardization is not performed regularly in all countries, incidents may not be detected.
Any questions about the ongoing Product recalls and consumer advice should be addressed to national food safety authorities.
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