Ferrero recalls more Kinder products over salmonella fear

Ferrero has issued a recall of additional Kinder products as part of the precautionary action against possible salmonella contamination.

In addition to the 20g single and multipacks of Kinder Surprise chocolate egg recalled earlier, Kinder Surprise 100g, Kinder Mini eggs 75g, Kinder Egg Hunt Kit 150g and Kinder Schokobons 200g have now recalled from shelves.

“We are voluntarily recalling a selection of Kinder products, which have been manufactured in Belgium, as a precautionary measure, in relation to a number of reported cases of salmonella,” the confectionary group said in a statement.

Investigations by public health agencies found a link between reported cases of salmonella poisoning across the UK and products produced by Ferrero.

An official said Tuesday that the number of salmonella cases in the UK had now risen to 63, including in a number of young children.

The recall concerns products from Ferrero’s factory in the Belgian town of Arlon that were put on sale in several European countries, besides the UK.

Europe's health agency said on Wednesday it was investigating dozens of reported and suspected cases of salmonella linked with eating chocolate in at least nine countries.

Ferrero recalled several batches of Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs and other products from Spanish shelves on Wednesday.

Ferrero described the recalls as precautionary and said on Wednesday that no Kinder products released to the market had tested positive for salmonella.

"The outbreak is characterised by an unusually high proportion of children being hospitalised, some with severe clinical symptoms such as bloody diarrhoea," the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

The agency did not mention Ferrero or any other company in a statement, but warned on Wednesday that the reported cases were mostly among children under 10 years old.

The agency later said that Kinder chocolate eggs were involved but did not clarify whether the problem concerned exclusively those products.

Nestle said it had recalled no products in this context. Rival Lindt & Sprunegli was not affected by the current health crisis.

Britain has the highest number of incidents with 63 confirmed cases as of April 5, the ECDC said, adding that other countries with probable or confirmed cases are France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

The European Union health agency said it was investigating, together with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 134 confirmed or probable cases of salmonella.

Product recalls have been launched in several countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and Britain, the EU agency said.

Details of products recalled: