The chocolate firm Ferrero has been forced to extend its recall of Kinder products to include all those manufactured at a site in Belgium.
The previous recall was announced amid salmonella concerns and only covered products with best-before dates up to 7 October, 2022. But now it has widened it to include all Kinder products manufactured at Ferrero’s Arlon site since June.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the latest update means all the products in the recall notice, no matter what the best-before date is, should not be eaten. The products affected by the recall are Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Egg 100g and Kinder Schoko-Bons.
Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, said the agency is continuing to investigate the outbreak of salmonella cases linked to the Kinder products.
“Consumers should follow the advice in the latest recall notice, which details all of the products which may pose a risk,” she said.
“We have emphasised to the business and the authorities in Belgium the importance of taking as precautionary an approach to their recall as possible and trust that they will continue to put consumers’ needs first in any action they take.
“We continue to work closely with UK and international partners, including the UK Health Security Agency and Food Standards Scotland, to establish how this outbreak started and make sure all necessary steps have been taken to prevent further illness.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday that 67 people in the UK, mostly young children, are known to have been infected with salmonella by Wednesday.
Earlier in the week Dr Lesley Larkin, of the UKHSA, said: “Anybody with concerns that they have symptoms of salmonellosis should contact their GP or call NHS 111.
“Salmonella can be spread from person to person, so anyone affected should adhere to good hygiene practice such as washing hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and avoiding handling food for others where possible, if you have symptoms.”
Symptoms, which include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever, usually clear up within a few and can sometimes be more severe, especially in young children and those with weakened immune systems.
