Ferrero to relaunch Belgian factory behind Salmonella cases

After an international recall of children's chocolate products, Ferrero wants to restart production at the factory in Belgium responsible for the salmonella outbreak.

"We have requested a relaunch from June 13 in order to restart production as soon as possible," Ferrero France boss Nicolas Neykov told Le Parisien newspaper on Friday. A hygiene plan had been submitted to the Belgian authorities at the beginning of May, according to Neykov. One thousand workers were engaged around the clock to prepare for the relaunch, he said. Some 10,000 parts of the factory had been dismantled and cleaned individually.

In April, Ferrero was forced to close the factory in the town Arlon by authorities after an outbreak of salmonella infections was traced back to sweet treats for children made at the factory. All children's chocolate products manufactured and shipped from Arlon were recalled. Neykov said than more than 3,000 tons of products were involved, and that sales plummeted 40%. A filter in a buttermilk tank at the Belgian factory was identified as the cause.

The Ferrero boss said that in future raw materials should be kept completely separate from the rest of the factory to prevent renewed hygiene problems. Employees should also pass through a sluice to prevent pathogens from outside entering the production process. "You can consume Ferrero products without any concern," Neykov assured. He said the company had been subject to a wide range of checks and controls worldwide. In future, half of the company's own inspections would also be carried out by external certified laboratories, he added.