Marler Clark, Inc., PS (LexBlog Belgium)

Almost 50 confirmed E. coli infections and several deaths have been reported in eight nursing homes in a region of Belgium. In Flanders, it has been confirmed that 48 patients and seven deaths were caused by the same strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157. Infections in the eight nursing homes were first reported...

The Belgian Minister of Agriculture has condemned an attack on a food inspector, which left her needing hospital treatment. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) said two female inspectors were subjected to verbal and physical threats this past week from staff of a food establishment operating without a permit. One...

Belgium and Sweden have solid control structures for meat products but both systems can be improved, according to the European Commission. An audit by DG Sante in September 2024 in Belgium evaluated controls on slaughter hygiene and meat inspection. The audit found that the system over the production and placing on the market of red...

More than 5,200 consumer complaints about food safety were submitted to a dedicated service in Belgium in 2024. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) consumer contact point received 5,222 complaints. This is up from 4,865 complaints in 2023. In 2024, 21 complaints per working day were received. FASFC said this...

Experts in Belgium have given reasons why they believe a second analysis is not needed when doing microbiological testing. The Scientific Committee of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) proposed an amendment to the draft decree on the taking and analysis of samples in foodborne outbreaks. The advisory body provides...

Coca-Cola has recalled a variety of soft drinks from 10 countries because of chemical contamination. Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners said the recall was due to high levels of chlorate. Chlorate is a by-product of chlorine disinfectants. The issue came to light during the company’s own checks at a factory in Belgium. Action was taken in consultation...

A rare illness in Belgium that affected nine people was likely spread after the initial patient ate pork while abroad several years earlier. Human cysticercosis results from ingesting Taenia solium eggs shed by a tapeworm carrier, forming cystic larvae in tissues. Upon consumption by humans, they develop into a new intestinal tapeworm. Affecting the brain, neurocysticercosis...

The Belgian food agency has found problems with food labels in more than half of inspections during an operation across the country. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium reported that 53 percent of the controls showed that one or more product labels did not meet the requirements in...

Figures from Belgium show the number of outbreaks and people sick in them declined in 2023. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain’s (FASFC) annual report reveals that 722 outbreaks were reported: 3,194 people were affected, 76 were hospitalized, and one died. This is lower than the record number in 2022, which...

Belgium has joined a pilot project looking at the accuracy of Salmonella testing in poultry flocks. The Netherlands received permission from the European Commission to study to what extent initial positive Salmonella results can be confirmed during verification testing. Belgium is adopting the protocol from the trial in the Netherlands to achieve comparable results, said...

The Belgian food agency officers have investigated more than 450 complaints about websites or social media profiles selling food in the past two years. Inspectors at the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) found that, in most cases, the seller was not registered. Authorization from the agency is required as people...

The European Commission has extended restrictions on imports of bivalve mollusks from Turkey. The measures for bivalve mollusks, such as clams, oysters, and mussels, will now apply until the end of December 2026. The short shelf life of live and chilled bivalve mollusks effectively rules out testing at the border. This means imports are banned. Consignments of frozen...

A food safety barometer in Belgium has found improvements in the country during the past decade. The purpose is to measure food safety and enable evidence-based risk management and policy decisions. It consists of 30 indicators that cover various aspects of food safety from farm to fork. It relies on data collected from the Belgian...

The first European Food Safety Forum is set to take place in Belgium this week. The event, on Nov. 28 and 29, in Brussels, will gather food safety stakeholders in Europe, to share knowledge, best practices, and address critical food safety challenges. One highlight will be the presentation of results from the EU-funded project FoodSafety4EU...

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Taenia solium, and plant-based products were among topics discussed at the latest meeting of a European network focused on risk assessment. The Scientific Network on Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA Network) includes 25 member states plus Switzerland and Norway as observers. It is coordinated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)....

The number of outbreaks and people sick in them was higher in 2022 than the year before, according to the Belgian food agency. Belgium recorded 830 outbreaks in 2022 compared to 547 in 2021, with 4,247 people affected compared to 2,070 in 2021. In 2022, 125 people were hospitalized, and two died. The rise may...

Almost 400 product recalls and warnings were issued in Belgium in 2022, which is down from the year before. If a product has reached the market and consumption poses a risk, companies must inform consumers. This happened 394 times in 2022 compared to 492 occasions in 2021, said the Federal Agency for the Safety of...

The Ferrero Salmonella contamination incident led to a sharp rise in consumer requests for information, according to data from Belgium’s food agency. On average, 45 complaints and questions are received by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain’s (FASFC) consumer contact point every day. The 5,000 complaints and 6,600 questions in 2022...

Private sector standards can help improve inspection results in some sectors but not all, according to an analysis published by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). The Scientific Committee of FASFC was asked to examine whether the presence of a Private Assurance Scheme (PAS) can have an effect on the...

Belgian authorities recorded 240 complaints in 2022 about the sale of food products online, according to a new report. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) has inspectors specializing in e-commerce that control online shops and deal with consumer complaints. In the past two years, they have investigated more than 400...

A Salmonella contamination incident has continued to affect Barry Callebaut in regions including North America, based on sales figures from the company. An issue at the Wieze factory in Belgium in June 2022 with a batch of contaminated lecithin led to production temporarily being stopped and a gradual return to normal operations by October. Sales volume...

A Salmonella contamination incident cost candy producer Barry Callebaut $77 million, according to the company’s full-year results. The impact of the problem was CHF 76.9 million Swiss Francs ($77.3 million) in the fiscal year 2021/22, which ended on Aug. 31, 2022. The Salmonella incident at the Wieze factory in Belgium and temporary production stoppage, followed...

Experts in Belgium have taken part in an exercise to improve management of foodborne outbreaks in the country. The event, coordinated this past month by Sciensano, the national public health institute, covered a fictional Salmonella outbreak. The simulated exercise was developed by the One Health European Joint Program (OH-EJP), the European Center for Disease Prevention...

Ferrero has received the all-clear at a factory behind a Salmonella outbreak after no problems were found during the initial approval period. The company revealed it had been given final authorization for production at the plant in Arlon from the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium. The monophasic Salmonella...

An additional 200 outbreaks were recorded in Belgium in 2021 versus the year before, according to the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). There was a significant increase in the number of food poisoning outbreaks from 333 in 2020 to 547 in 2021. The number of people affected in them went...

Barry Callebaut is to resume production at its factory in Belgium that was involved in a Salmonella contamination incident beginning next month. Cleaning of the chocolate lines affected by the Salmonella-positive lecithin in the plant in Wieze, is progressing well, said the company. The first cleaned lines should restart in early August, with a gradual...