Kinder chocolate products linked to the salmonella outbreak should not be consumed over the Easter weekend, health officials have warned, as 70 cases are linked to this outbreak in the UK, with the majority of the cases in children under five.
It follows a UK recall of certain chocolate goods which was extended to include all of those manufactured at a factory in Belgium since June, regardless of their best-before date.
A ‘Rapid Outbreak Assessment’ released by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it had matched the same salmonella strain currently infecting people to samples taken from the Arlon site last December.
Agencies, including the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have warned Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise 100g and Kinder Schoko-Bons should not be eaten.
Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said: ‘We’re reminding people of the recall this Bank Holiday weekend as it’s possible these products have been bought and stored as gifts, or for events such as Easter trails.
‘It’s crucial these products are not eaten and are discarded. Salmonella infection can be severe and many children affected in this outbreak have been very unwell and hospitalised, so anyone giving chocolate products to friends or family should take extra care to ensure their Easter gifts are not amongst those products recalled.’
