“Ferrerogate”, the sequel. A preliminary investigation has been opened following complaints denouncing salmonella contamination after the consumption of Kinder products manufactured by the Ferrero group in a factory in Belgium, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. This investigation was opened on the counts of “deceit aggravated by the danger to human health”, “involuntary attacks on physical integrity” and “endangering the lives of others”, after a complaint filed on May 19 by the Foodwatch France consumer protection association.
More than 3,000 tons of Kinder products have been withdrawn from the market in total after numerous cases of salmonellosis in Europe, with a “financial impact” of “several tens of millions of euros”, announced the general manager of Ferrero France in a interview at Parisian published at the end of May. “According to our investigations”, the contamination would come from “a filter located in a dairy butter tank” of the Arlon factory in Belgium and would have arrived there “either by contaminated raw materials, or by people” , explained Nicolas Neykov, who speaks for the first time since the start of the health scandal.
324 cases of salmonellosis have been identified in 13 European countries
As a reminder, at the beginning of April, with the approach of the Easter holidays, the Italian confectionery giant Ferrero had recalled all the products manufactured in its factory in Arlon, Belgium, after the report of dozens of cases of salmonellosis. possibly linked to the consumption of its chocolate products in several European countries.
According to a latest report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as of May 18, 324 cases – 266 confirmed and 58 probable – of salmonellosis have been identified in 13 European countries including the United Kingdom. Children under 10 are the main victims of this infection, but no deaths have been recorded at this stage, according to EFSA, the European food safety authority.