Why Ferrero Pulled Back Kinder Surprise Eggs?

In one little iconic egg, Kinder creates little moments of surprise; this is how it was felt for children.

Kinder Egg is still every child’s dream and rare are those who did not try the combination of its two soft cream layers, with a delicious milky taste, without being surprised by the toy inside.

However, the dream has become a nightmare; around 63 people, mostly young children, have become hit with salmonella in an outbreak linked to these eggs.

In the light of the recent infections, Ferrero, the chocolate company, is recalling some batches of the eggs as a preventive measure while investigations are still underway, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

 

Fears of Salmonella

Some Kinder Surprise eggs have been recalled due to a link to 63 UK cases of salmonella; most of them were young children, in at least nine countries, BBC has found. After the infection outbreak, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advised people not to eat 20g or three-pack eggs with best before dates between July 11 and October 7 of this year, saying all the eggs affected had been made in the same factory in Belgium.

The chocolate firm, Ferrero, said none of its Kinder products delivered for sale had tested positive for salmonella, according to the BBC.

“We take matters of food safety extremely seriously and we sincerely apologize for this matter,” Ferrero said.

Nearly 77% of the cases involve children under five, but no deaths have been reported.

It was not only in the UK, more cases were recorded also in Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The FSA said the recall was because of a “potential link to a salmonella outbreak.”

 

'Precaution'

The FSA said Ferrero voluntarily pulled back its Kinder products on Monday, April 4, 2022, following an investigation conducted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other safety bodies after a link between reported Salmonella cases and the Kinder product.

FSA has clarified that its product recall was out of a precautionary measure and added it had received no complaints.

The chocolate company was reportedly working closely with food safety authorities to put the finger on the exact cause of the outbreak.

Chocolate-maker Ferrero clarified that other products manufactured by Kinder are not believed to be affected.

In an alert, the firm said the recent investigations by public health bodies “found a link between reported cases of salmonella poisoning across the UK and a specific product produced by the Ferrero company.”

Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, said: “We know that these particular products are popular with young children, especially as Easter approaches, so we would urge parents and guardians of children to check if any products already in their home are affected by this recall.”

Dr Lesley Larkin, of the UK Health Security Agency, said that the symptoms of salmonellosis can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever, and they “typically resolve themselves within a few days,” adding that they could be more severe, especially for young children and those with who lack strong immune systems. Dr Larkin urged anybody with concerns to contact his GP or call NHS 111.

In fact, Salmonella can be spread from person to another person, this is why she advised anyone who has Salmonella symptoms to wash hands thoroughly and avoid touching other people's food.

 

Not Safe

It was not only limited to chocolate eggs, the recall of Kinder Surprise eggs has been extended to include five more products, like Kinder Mini Eggs, over fears they could be also contaminated with Salmonella.

Pulling back Ferrero products has now been extended to include a number of other Kinder chocolate products.

“The 20g Kinder Surprise eggs, as well as three-packs of those eggs, with best before dates of up to and including October 7, 2022, have all been recalled, according to The Independent.

“Meanwhile, the following products, with best before dates of between April 20, and August 21, 2022, are also being bought back: Kinder Surprise (100g), Kinder Mini eggs (75g), Kinder Egg Hunt Kit (150g), and Kinder Schokobons (200g),” the same source reported.

It was the first time for Ferrero to face such a ban; in 2008, German politicians robbed youngsters of one of the small joys of childhood when announcing plans to ban the Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs, on the pretext they are a safety hazard.

The children's committee of the German parliament said there were fears children might swallow the toys included in the eggs, while critics have said that mixing toys and food contradicts with teaching children the value of good nutrition.

“Children can't differentiate between toys and nutritional items,” said Miriam Gruss, a member of the committee.

“It is a sad fact, but that means that Kinder Surprise eggs have to go.”

Angrily, Ferrero responded to the statement by explaining that its product had gone through many safety tests since 1974, when it first came on to the German market.

Elise Glaab, the company's spokeswoman said: “There is absolutely no evidence that the Kinder Surprise eggs as a combination of toy and foodstuff are dangerous.”

“The Kinder Surprise toy is separated from the chocolate by a plastic capsule,” she added.