| In late March – early April, consumers fell ill after consuming Kinder brand chocolate products. Following epidemiological investigations and the analysis of samples, a link was established with the Ferrero factory in Arlon.
The FASFC then immediately began an in-depth investigation at Ferrero in Arlon and decided on April 8 to withdraw the authorization for this factory and to recall all the products in the Kinder range from this production site.
In May, Ferrero applied to the AFSCA for authorization to be able to produce again.
The FASFC has decided to give Ferrero a conditional authorization for their production plant in Arlon.
This conditional authorization will be granted for a period of 3 months . During this period, the raw materials, as well as each batch of foodstuffs produced, will be analysed. It is only if these analyses give a compliant result that the products can be placed on the market.
This decision comes after several weeks of in-depth analyses during which the FASFC carried out several on-site checks both at the level of the internal procedures put in place by Ferrero and of the factory’s infrastructure.
The FASFC is of the opinion that, in the current state of affairs, Ferrero offers the necessary guarantees of compliance with food safety rules and requirements.
Nevertheless, the FASFC opted for a conditional authorization because the Agency considers that it is essential to be able to verify the concrete application of all the internal procedures once the factory has resumed its production activities.
In the event of favourable inspection results at the end of this 3-month period, a final authorization may be issued.
For his part, the Federal Minister of Agriculture, David Clarinval, in charge of the FASFC, is delighted with the favourable progress of the file: “ I salute the quality work carried out by the FASFC in this complicated file. The conditional authorization of the Ferrero factory in Arlon is the first step towards a final authorization. I will continue to follow developments in this case closely. » |
