Europe: Just several months after a salmonella contamination outbreak at a Belgian Ferrero factory caused up to 324 salmonella cases in Europe, a new outbreak has been detected in the factory of Belgian-Swiss chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut, forcing the manufacturer to shut down production.
All chocolate bars produced at the factor in Wieze, East Flanders, after June 25 have been withdrawn from sale, the company stated in a statement published on June 30.
The firm learned that the salmonella bacteria was present in goods produced at its manufacturing on June 27. The business stated that “strong food safety measures promptly identified lecithin as the source of contamination.”
Barry Callebaut discovered the contamination, notified the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA), and shut down all industrial production lines. The sale of chocolate produced after the contamination has likewise been prohibited.
The business has now contacted its clients to request that they remove the impacted products from its shelves. No more production will occur until an investigation is finished. The business emphasised that “production lines would be cleansed and disinfected before the commencement of the manufacturing process” once the source of the contamination had been identified.
The Barry Callebaut business might lose its manufacturing licence if germs bring on major contamination. To safeguard customers, the AFSCA cancelled Ferrero’s manufacturing permit at its Arlon facility on April 8 in the wake of the salmonella outbreak. Ferrero’s manufacturing is now anticipated to start up again in early July.
