'Don’t take the risk': Warning after kids hospitalised from eating Kinder Easter chocolate

15 April 2022, 20:06 | Updated: 15 April 2022, 20:17

Health officials have issued a warning to all parents ahead of Easter weekend, after 70 people fall in with salmonella after eating Kinder chocolate eggs.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have told parents it is "crucial" to make sure children do not to eat certain Kinder chocolate, including Kinder Mini eggs and Kinder Surprise eggs, amid hospitalisation risks.

A "Rapid Outbreak Assessment" released by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said it had matched the same salmonella strain currently infecting people to samples taken from a factory in Belgium last December.

As of April 15, there are 70 cases linked to this outbreak in the UK, with the majority of the cases in children under five.

Agencies, including the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have warned Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise 100g and Kinder Schokobons should not be eaten.

Read more: UK Bank Holiday weather: 22C heat declared on hottest day of year so far

A UK recall of certain Kinder chocolate products was extended to include all of those manufactured at the site since June, regardless of their best-before date.

Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said: "We're reminding people of the recall this Bank Holiday weekend as it's possible these products have been bought and stored as gifts, or for events such as Easter trails.

"It's crucial these products are not eaten and are discarded. Salmonella infection can be severe and many children affected in this outbreak have been very unwell and hospitalised, so anyone giving chocolate products to friends or family should take extra care to ensure their Easter gifts are not amongst those products recalled.

"Thank you to parents and guardians who worked with us and other public health authorities in the UK to tell us what their children had eaten prior to becoming unwell – this allowed us to rapidly pinpoint a potential source of infection and helped food chain investigations both in this country and in Europe.

"We understand this has been a worrying time for these families, and their responses have helped to prevent more children and vulnerable adults being affected."

Emily Miles, chief executive of the FSA, said: "As we go into the Easter weekend, we are strongly urging consumers to follow the advice in the latest recall notice and to check any Kinder products they might have already bought against the list detailed in the notice, as they may pose a risk to health.

"If they do have any products on the list, they should not eat them and should discard them immediately."

Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.

Anyone with concerns that they might have salmonellosis is urged to contact their GP or call NHS 111.