Recently, many countries in Europe and the United States have reported cases of Salmonella typhimurium infection, and the investigation points to the source of infection to the Kinder produced by Ferrero Group in Belgium. These chocolates have been sold to 113 countries and regions, including China.
The global recall of related chocolate has begun, and it is recommended that you do not buy and eat related products according to the reminder of the General Administration of Customs of China. If you have already consumed the recalled product and have symptoms of infection, seek medical attention promptly.
Chocolate infects Salmonella?
In mid-December 2021 and January 2022, the Arlon chocolate factory in Belgium detected Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium in processed buttermilk tanks through internal inspections. The factory cleaned the production line, destroyed the affected semi-finished products and tested the newly produced chocolate with Salmonella, which showed negative results and continued to sell the product worldwide.
On January 7 this year, the first case of salmonella typhimurium infection was detected in the United Kingdom. In the month since, there have been more than a dozen more cases in the UK, mostly children under the age of 10. Subsequently, a number of countries have reported cases.
As of 25 April, a total of 151 cases of Salmonella typhimurium suspected of being associated with the consumption of chocolate-related food have been reported in 11 countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain and the United States.
The symptom onset dates in these cases ranged from 21 December 2021 to 28 March 2022. Among them, the proportion of children under 10 years of age is significantly higher than that of previous Salmonella infections (89%). Of the 21 reported symptoms and severity, 57% reported bloody diarrhoea, 43% were hospitalized, and no related deaths were reported as of 25 April.
The strains isolated from these patients matched those previously found in chocolate factories. Meanwhile, of the 101 patients, 88 reported having previously consumed Ferrero chocolate. As a result, the investigative body linked the recent outbreak to chocolate products. However, the exact source, time and cause of bacterial contamination needs to be further investigated.
Belgium halted production at the plant in April, and the International Network of Food Safety Authorities (INFOSAN) issued a global alert on April 10 to share information about the outbreak and initiate a global product recall.
Currently, WHO assesses the risk of disease transmission in Europe regionally and globally as moderate.
What chocolates can't be eaten?
In the face of the current situation, Ferrero has successively released news around the world, saying that it has preventively and voluntarily recalled The Kinda chocolate produced at the Arlon factory, including all batches and expiry dates.
Ferrero China stated on April 9 that the full line of GYNDER products produced in China and imported into Chinese mainland (including on-the-go and official channels) are not related to the Belgian production plant involved and are not covered by the recall.
April 9 Statement | Ferrero China
However, on April 14, Ferrero China issued another announcement, saying that considering that some products may enter the Chinese market through non-authorized sales channels (cross-border e-commerce, sea amoy, entrepot trade, etc.), the company will assist in the recall of some products.
April 14 Statement | Ferrero China
On April 15, the General Administration of Customs of China also reminded consumers not to purchase related chocolate products produced by Ferrero Group's Alron plant in Belgium through any channel, and if they have been obtained, they should stop eating them immediately and contact the company.
Salmonellosis infections, the elderly and children are more dangerous
Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne pathogens and is mainly transmitted through the fecal-oral route. Many foods may be due to improper carrying of Salmonella in the production, transportation, sale and production process, of which poultry, livestock meat is most often affected, followed by eggs, milk and dairy products, mostly caused by animal infection or contamination during processing.
There are more than 2500 serotypes of Salmonella typhimurium, of which Salmonella typhimurium is one of the more common. Studies have shown that about 70% of gastroenteritis is caused by Salmonella infections, of which Salmonella typhimurium is a common pathogen. The incubation period of infection is usually 6 to 24 hours, and patients generally have an acute onset of illness, with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc., and may carry blood in the stool.
For people with normal immunity, salmonella infection does not need to panic too much. Because under normal circumstances, Salmonella infection needs to enter a sufficient amount of bacteria through the mouth to overcome the body's stomach acid, intestinal local immunity and other effects to cause diseases, and the gastroenteritis caused by it mostly heals in 2 to 3 days. Furthermore, WHO does not recommend routine antimicrobial therapy in previously healthy mild to moderate cases. Because bacteria may not be completely eliminated and can lead to resistant strains, making the drug ineffective.
But for the elderly, infants and young children, and immunocompromised people, Salmonella infections need to be paid more attention. In these populations, salmonella infection can cause severe symptoms such as severe dehydration, sepsis, and even the risk of shock and death.
Foods contaminated with Salmonella usually do not change significantly in appearance, smell and taste, and anyone can be infected with Salmonella. If the above symptoms of infection occur, especially if there is an elderly person or infant at home, you should seek medical attention in time. Treatment in severe cases is electrolyte supplementation (providing electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride ions, which are lost due to vomiting and diarrhea) and rehydration.
To prevent Salmonella infection, it is mainly to do a good job in the hygienic management of water sources and food, and to avoid pollution. Due to the characteristics of the food industry itself, once a pollution accident occurs, it is often the same batch of food that is affected, plus transportation and sales, so the scope of involvement is often wider, or the number of people affected is larger. This requires the food industry to standardize production and sales, and also requires regulators to increase supervision, such as strictly requiring personnel not to engage in catering industry work during the period of bacteria, strict quality control in all links, and requiring food samples to be retained to facilitate traceability after accidents.
And for individuals, there are also things that can be done to reduce the risk of infection. Salmonella is not tolerant to high temperatures, is killed in 5 minutes at 70 ° C, and dies almost immediately at 100 ° C, so when cooking food, it is best to separate the raw and cooked plates and cook thoroughly to ensure that the food is cooked. In addition to this, general precautions include: washing your hands with soap and water, especially after touching pets or farm animals, or after going to the toilet; drinking only pasteurized or boiled milk; and thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables.
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[1]https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON369
[2]https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/04/timing-and-scale-of-chocolate-outbreak-required-urgent-response-says-study/
[3]https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/04/timeline-issues-raised-in-multi-country-salmonella-outbreak-traced-to-ferreros-kinder-chocolate/
[4]https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/04/kinder-chocolate-recall-hits-u-s-as-belgian-officials-close-plant-linked-to-outbreak/
Zhu Wanfu, Zhuang Hui, editors-in-chief. Medical Microbiology. Peking University Medical Press
Author: Dai Tianyi, Li Xiaoqiu
EDIT: odette