The decision and health concerns were a blow to its owner, the Italian confectionery company Ferrero, which came at the height of the Easter holidays, when Kinder chocolates are a sought-after supermarket. Ferrero issued a statement saying it “sincerely apologizes” for the wave of salmonella cases and acknowledging the suspension of operations at its plant in the southeastern city of Arlon. The Belgian Food Safety Authority said in a statement that the plant had been ordered to close “following the findings of the last few hours that the information provided by Ferrero is incomplete”. Ordered the factory to withdraw all production of the company’s popular Kinder brand. The authority “will authorize the reopening of the site only after it has been established that the facility complies with all food safety rules and requirements,” he added. The Belgian Minister of Agriculture, David Clarinval, said that “such a decision is never taken lightly, but the current circumstances make it necessary. “The food security of our citizens can never be neglected.” Ferrero said it “recognizes that there were internal shortcomings, creating delays in the retrieval and timely exchange of information.” “With immediate effect,” the entire factory production of Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schoko-Bons stopped, he said. “We are deeply saddened by this. “We want to sincerely apologize to all our consumers and business partners and thank the food safety authorities for their valuable guidance,” Ferrero said. The company, which also makes Nutella and Tic Tac sweets, on Thursday recalled some varieties of Kinder chocolates in the US made in Belgium. This was followed by recalls earlier this week in the UK and several European countries over concerns about factory products. Salmonella is a type of bacterium that can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps in humans and is one of the most common foodborne infections. Most cases are caused by ingesting food contaminated with animal or human feces. The British Food Standards Agency reports that 63 cases of salmonella have been detected across the UK. In France, at least 21 cases have been reported and 15 reported consuming recalled Kinder products, according to the French public health service.
