In early April, shortly before Easter, the company recalled all products produced at its Arlon plant after dozens of cases of salmonella poisoning were identified in connection with the consumption of chocolate products in various European countries.
The Belgian health authorities announced today that they have given the green light for the reopening of a three-month trial period of the Ferrero factory in Arlon, which closed on April 8 after the scandal that broke out with the chocolates that were contaminated with salmonella.
“During this period the raw materials as well as every batch of food produced will be controlled. “Products can only be marketed if the results of the tests are in line with health standards,” said the Belgian Federal Food Safety Authority (Afsca).
“As of today factory begins the process of opening it which will lead to the reopening of the production lines in a few weeks “, the Italian company pointed out.
“This reopening follows an in-depth clean-up and food safety checks carried out in collaboration with Afsca,” he added.
Ferrero’s factory in Arlon, Belgium is a large production site employing 1,000 people.
According to the company, “more than 1,800 quality inspections have been carried out, 10,000 pieces have been dismantled and cleaned”, while an investment has been made for the installation of “300 meters of new piping”.
In early April, shortly before Easter, the company recalled all products produced at its Arlon plant after dozens of cases of salmonella poisoning were identified in connection with the consumption of chocolate products in various European countries.
The products recalled were: Kinder Surpriseτα Kinder Mini Eggsτα Kinder Surprise Maxi 100 gr and Kinder Schoko-Bons in all countries where they were distributed regardless of production date.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on June 3 that 392 cases of salmonella have been confirmed in EU countries and Britain, while another 22 are considered possible.
Ferrero, who is accused of being late in responding to a problem identified as early as December, has been the subject of several lawsuits.
According to the company, the contamination at the Arlon plant was due to “a filter that was placed in a butter tank”, and which came “either from raw materials or from humans”.
