Health bosses are urging people to check before they eat Easter chocolate treats after a salmonella outbreak at the factory of a popular brand. An outbreak of Salmonella has been reported at a factory in Belgium which produces Kinder chocolates including the Kinder Surprise.
Currently there are 70 cases linked to this outbreak reported in the UK. The majority of those affected are children under the age of five.
The symptoms of salmonella can be pass within a few days but can prove to be severe in young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
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Emily Miles, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency said: "As we go into the Easter weekend, we are strongly urging consumers to follow the advice in the latest recall notice and to check any Kinder products they might have already bought against the list detailed in the notice, as they may pose a risk to health.
"If they do have any products on the list, they should not eat them and should discard them immediately. We have emphasised to the business and the authorities in Belgium the importance of taking a precautionary approach to their recall and trust that they will continue to put consumers’ needs first in any action they take."
Dame Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (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.
"Thank you to parents and guardians who worked with us and other public health authorities in the UK to tell us what their children had eaten prior to becoming unwell – this allowed us to rapidly pinpoint a potential source of infection and helped food chain investigations both in this country and in Europe.
"We understand this has been a worrying time for these families, and their responses have helped to prevent more children and vulnerable adults being affected.”
The full list of chocolates which have been recalled and should not be eaten:
Kinder Surprise 20g & 3x 20g
Kinder Surprise 100g
Kinder Egg Hunt
Kinder Mini Eggs
Kinder Schoko-Bons
