Kinder Joy factory shut down as dozens of children contract salmonella poisoning
A Kinder chocolate factory in Belgium has been ordered to close temporarily over reports of salmonella contamination, with cases of food poisoning recorded in at least nine countries.
Most of the cases are young children, some reporting bloody stools.
Australia and New Zealand’s Food Standards authority put out a nationwide recall notice for some Kinder products last week, but that was later extended to include four more chocolates made by the factory.
Last week, Kenya Bureau of Standards investigated Kinder Joy over salmonella fears.
Some of the products which is produced by Italian candy maker Ferrero were withdrawn from the European markets over the health concerns.
Samples of the products by the Italian firm sold in the Kenyan market were to be tested for safety before a decision is taken on them.
“We shall take samples for the test to ascertain they are ok,” Kebs managing director Bernard Njiraini.
Ferrero is one of the biggest chocolate and candy companies in the world.
Salmonella is a bacterial disease that infects the gut and can cause gastroenteritis.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever.
In a statement, the UK’s food safety agency advised consumers to avoid using certain batches of Kinder Surprise products.
