Belgium: As Barry Callebaut’s Belgian chocolate plant is still dealing with the effects of a recent salmonella incident, other chocolate producers have been compelled to destroy products. Pralines are now in short supply as a result of this.
A salmonella epidemic at the end of June forced the closure of the Barry Callebaut facility in the Wieze municipality for six weeks. One of the tainted binding chemicals from a Hungarian supplier led to the germs entering the machinery. This resulted in the destruction of hundreds of tonnes of chocolate.
The factory was opened again at the start of August month, but only about three of the 24 production lines are currently operational, as per the sources.
Along with this, the company did not predict a chocolate shortage, and there appears to be one now. The factory in Belgium accounts for an estimated 15 percent of Callebaut’s worldwide chocolate production as well as has been unable to produce for various weeks.
The effects were also felt by Mondelez International, which is the world’s largest biscuit producer, which is now unable to make enough biscuits of brands such as Mikado and Pim’s, according to the reports.
“In recent weeks, we’ve had to cut back on the number of things we could provide. Specifically, this pertains to the brands Mikado, Petit Ecolier, Granola, Pรฉpito, and Pim’s. “In a press release, it was said. The issues are also affecting Belgium since Pim’s are no longer accessible on Colruyt’s website, and Mikado is not now available at Delhaize.
According to CEO Ignace Van Doorselaere, praline producer Neuhaus is likewise receiving less chocolate than anticipated. “I anticipate receiving about 15% less chocolate than we would like between now and the end of this year.”
Callebaut is unable just to provide Neuhaus with any chocolate since the firm uses its own formulas and cocoa beans. “We exclusively work with Belgian chocolate, which needs to be produced in Belgium; as a result, chocolate from other nations’ manufacturers is not permitted. That complicates it.”
Even if its stores won’t be deserted in the upcoming months, Mondelez indicated that they wouldn’t be as crowded as they should be. “Even though everything was in place, we will not be launching a collection of unique pralines this year,” the company stated.
