Marler Clark LLP, PS (LexBlog Belgium)

A Barry Callebaut chocolate factory in Belgium is back operating at full capacity after a Salmonella contamination scare earlier this year. Cleaning of the factory in Wieze is nearing completion so it has returned to running at normal levels after operations were stopped in late June. “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to...

Barry Callebaut is bracing for a significant financial impact after stopping production because of Salmonella contamination at a factory in Belgium. Although the full effect of the incident is still being assessed, it is expected to be “notable” in the financial figures for the fourth quarter 2021/22. Full year results will be published in November....

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...

The contaminated raw materials that forced Barry Callebaut to halt chocolate production in Belgium came from Hungary. One batch of lecithin was unloaded at the Wieze factory on June 25. Barry Callebaut confirmed Salmonella Tennessee has been identified in the lecithin system of the factory and in samples of the delivered material. This batch came...

Barry Callebaut has halted production at one of its factories in Belgium after detecting Salmonella. The company found the positive production lot on June 27 and blocked all chocolate products made at the Wieze site since testing on June 25. All chocolate production lines have been stopped at what some say is the largest chocolate...

The Belgian food safety agency has given the green light for Ferrero to resume production at the factory behind a large, International Salmonella outbreak. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) decided to allow conditional approval for the plant in Arlon, Belgium. FASFC, also known as AFSCA and FAVV, suspended operations...

Authorities have searched a number of Ferrero sites as investigations continue into a large Salmonella outbreak. Six facilities in Belgium and Luxembourg were targeted this week including the factory in Arlon which is believed to be where contaminated occurred. The Belgian food safety agency stopped production at the plant in early April but it could...

A warning about champagne contaminated with ecstasy in Europe that is behind one death has been extended. More than three months after the alarm was first raised, authorities believe another lot code of Moët and Chandon Ice Imperial could be affected. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium said...

As of 18 May 2022, 324 cases (266 confirmed and 58 probable) have been reported in the EU/EEA (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden) and the UK, including two distinct strains of monophasic S. Typhimurium. In addition, cases have been identified in Canada, Switzerland, and the United States. Most...

Belgian police have made six arrests as part of a fraud investigation involving horses and other animals. Police searched eight addresses in Antwerp and Namur and four men between the ages of 26 and 55, a 55-year-old Belgian woman and a 29-year-old from Spain were detained for questioning. During the raids, horse passports, health certificates,...

Ferrero’s confectionery plant in Belgium that has been linked to a large Salmonella outbreak could reopen next month. Belgian authorities stopped production at the facility in Arlon in early April. Meetings have been held between Ferrero officials, a worker’s union and the Federal Agency For the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) on what conditions...

Kinder chocolate and Salmonella:European health agencies have called for further investigation into the Kinder chocolate factory in Arlon linked to an outbreak of Salmonella across Europe. Kinder, owned by the Italian company Ferrero, detected Salmonella Typhimurium in a buttermilk tank at the Arlon site during the manufacturer’s own checks in December 2021, according to the...

The date of the first illness in a Salmonella outbreak linked to Ferrero chocolate doesn’t match with when contamination was detected, according to two EU agencies. Ferrero has recalled numerous Kinder products, including products labeled for Easter, worldwide. A total of 156 Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium cases have been reported in 10 EU countries and the...

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) provides new opportunities for improving bacterial food safety but also brings with it some concerns, according to Belgian experts. An opinion by the Scientific Committee of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) made several recommendations about implementing the technology in Belgium. Different foodborne pathogens including Salmonella,...

Several European countries have called measures adopted to deal with ethylene oxide in a food additive “disproportionate.” In July, it was agreed all products containing the additive locust bean gum (E410) that is contaminated with ethylene oxide need to be withdrawn or recalled to protect the consumer. The additive is used in ice creams, meat...

Researchers have evaluated Belgium’s surveillance system for Salmonella infections and the potential role of whole genome sequencing. Surveillance of salmonellosis in Belgium depends on voluntary referral of human Salmonella isolates to the National Reference Center (NRC). Isolates are accompanied by a form with epidemiological information that includes the age, gender, and postal code of the...

Belgium’s system to prevent microbiological risks before and during harvest of certain foods has been criticized by the EU’s health and safety body. Officials in Belgium disagree. A DG Sante audit found Belgium’s program is not designed to identify businesses that don’t have measures to stop the risk of contamination at these stages of production...

More than 330 outbreaks affected more than 1,200 people in Belgium in 2020, according to the food agency’s annual report. The 333 outbreaks sickened 1,262 people with 27 needing hospital treatment. Two elderly people died, one due to Salmonella and the other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection, but a link to food could not...

European countries are facing more ethylene oxide related recalls after the substance was detected in a food additive used in a range of products. Belgium first raised the alarm in September 2020 about ethylene oxide in products from India with sesame seeds. These related recalls are still continuing with thousands of conventional and organic items...

Three people in Belgium have been sentenced for their roles in the 2017 fipronil affair that involved hundreds of poultry farms. Prison terms range from one year to 18 months suspended for endangering public health and damages were awarded to civil parties. Seven individuals and four firms faced the court in Antwerp. Investigations started in...

Food safety officials in Belgium seized almost 80 tons of tuna in the course of a few months in 2020. More than 90 percent of non-compliant products were imported from Asia. Between September and December 2020, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) took 45 samples of fresh and frozen tuna...

More than 150 students and staff at a school in Belgium fell ill during an outbreak of norovirus earlier this month, according to information recently released. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) reported the food poisoning at the Atheneum Pegasus school in the city of Ostend was caused by crudités, which...

The presence of an unauthorized substance in sesame seeds from India has prompted a spate of product recalls across Europe. The ethylene oxide alert was first raised by Belgium in early September but now concerns almost 20 countries. Ethylene oxide is a genotoxic carcinogen after regular consumption. Sesame seeds were used in the production of...

The Belgian food safety authority has had to step in less this summer at youth camps following outbreaks of food poisoning. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) intervened twice in youth camps following incidents related to food poisoning in 2020, which is four times less than the three previous years....

Belgian experts have highlighted the importance of assessing food safety when looking at the changing dietary habits of consumers. The Scientific Committee provides advice on risk assessment and management in the food chain for the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium. Experts said there are shifts toward more plant-based...

Two people in Belgium have been infected with the same type of Listeria behind an outbreak in the Netherlands with European agencies investigating illnesses in other countries. Belgian media cited a report from Sciensano, the Belgian Institute for Health, and agency officials confirmed to Food Safety News that the details were correct while directing us...

The risk of Listeria monocytogenes growth in raw milk butter is low if the pH drops below a certain level after so long, according to one study by Belgian experts. The Scientific Committee provides opinions on risk assessment and management in areas covered by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) in Belgium, also known as l’Agence fédérale pour la sécurité de la chaîne...

Belgian officials have issued a warning because of incidents of hepatitis infections being linked to dietary supplements containing curcumin. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) cited a notification in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) detailing cases of acute cholestatic hepatitis following consumption of various dietary supplements...

The annual cost of acute gastroenteritis for the Belgian economy has been estimated at between €210 million ($239 million) and €1 billion ($1.14 billion). A study by the Belgian institute for health Sciensano estimated the burden of illness from 2010 to 2014 in terms of deaths, patients admitted to hospitals, people consulting their general practitioner...

Belgium has reported a case of Salmonella in an infant linked to an outbreak in France. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) said it was informed of two sick babies in Belgium who had, among other things, consumed infant nutrition products of the Modilac brand bought in France, a few...