Kinder Surprise eggs withdrawn due to Salmonella fears

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have reported that chocolate-maker Ferrero has recalled its Kinder Surprise eggs because of the possible presence of Salmonella.

The move, just weeks before Easter, comes after 57 cases of Salmonella have been found with a possible link to the product.

Over three quarters of the reported cases were in children aged five or under.

Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

The affected products are the 20g Kinder Surprise eggs or the three-pack of eggs, with a best-before date between 11 July 2022 and 7 October 2022.

The FSA is warning people who have purchased the affected product not to eat it, and instead to contact the Ferrero Consumer Careline on consumers.uk@ferrero.com or 0330 053 8943 for a full refund.

In a statement, the company said: “Ferrero is co-operating with the UK Food Standards Agency and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on a possible link to a number of reported cases of salmonella.

“Although none of our Kinder products released to market have tested positive for salmonella, and we have received no consumer complaints, we are taking this extremely seriously as consumer care is our top priority.

“We take matters of food safety extremely seriously and we sincerely apologise for this matter.”

FSA head of incidents, Tina Potter said: “We welcome the precautionary approach being taken by Ferrero and are advising consumers not to eat any of the products listed in the FSA alert. It is really important that consumers follow this advice to avoid the risk of becoming ill with salmonella poisoning.

“We know that these particular products are popular with young children, especially as Easter approaches, so we would urge parents and guardians of children to check if any products already in their home are affected by this recall.

“The food business involved has voluntarily carried out this product withdrawal and recall and we are working closely with them and their competent authorities to identify the precise cause of this outbreak.”

(Lead image: Wikimedia / Tiia Monto / Creative Commons)