Five hospitalised in cases linked to Kinder salmonella outbreak in Ireland

The Ferrero factory in Arlon in Belgium has been shut in the wake of the outbreak, and the ECDC said that Salmonella Typhimurium was detected in a buttermilk tank at the Belgian establishment during the manufacturer’s own checks in December 2021. File Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Five of the 15 people in Ireland who fell ill in connection with a salmonella outbreak linked to Kinder Egg chocolate products had to be hospitalised, the European Centers for Disease Control (ECDC) has said.

In an update today, the ECDC said that 150 cases across Europe have been reported linked to the outbreak. 

The first case was reported in the UK in January.

The ECDC said that the majority of infections are among children younger than 10 years, and many of them have been hospitalised.

One-third of the 15 cases reported in Ireland have been hospitalised, the ECDC said. In the UK, 65 cases have been confirmed with 43% of these hospitalised. In France, there have been 25 confirmed cases.

According to the HSE, the most recent Irish cases linked to the outbreak were reported in mid-March.

“The great majority of people who have become ill in this wider outbreak, have reported eating Kinder products (manufactured by Ferrero) in the days before they became unwell,” the HSE said.

The Ferrero factory in Arlon in Belgium has been shut in the wake of the outbreak, and the ECDC said that Salmonella Typhimurium was detected in a buttermilk tank at the Belgian establishment during the manufacturer’s own checks in December 2021. 

After implementing hygiene measures and negative Salmonella testing, in then distributed the chocolate products across Europe and globally, the ECDC said.

It said: “At the end of March 2022, upon availability of sequencing data, scientists linked human cases to Belgium through advanced molecular typing techniques.” 

National health authorities, including the HSE and Food Safety Authority, began to issue warnings earlier this month. 

As a result of the evidence provided by outbreak investigations, Ferrero instituted an EU-wide withdrawal and recall of a range of products.

It included Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs and other products.

“The recalls and withdrawals launched worldwide will reduce the risk of further infections,” the ECDC said. 

“However, because molecular typing is not routinely performed in all countries, cases may go undetected.” 

 It said that further investigations are needed at the production plant in Arlon to identify the root cause, timing and possible factors behind the contamination.