After the scandal of 62 cases of salmonella contamination linked to the Ferrero plant in Arlon, a town in the south of Belgium, which had been identified by the Federal Agency for Food Chain Safety (FASFC).
The Ferrero group had closed the plant and thinks it has done the hardest by trying to give a message of transparency and a real will to fight this contamination, but the problem is otherwise serious and the causes much deeper.
In July 2023, trouble began again and the Arlon plant was closed again for a month after the discovery of salmonella. This time, the bacterium was not detected in chocolates (Schoko-Bons, Mini-Eggs…) but in the “environment”, namely the “skirting boards on the wall”, a Ferrero France official said.
The Ferrero Group wants to be reassuring and decided to stop production lines and “carry out the necessary cleaning and sanitation”. The 725 employees were put on technical unemployment, but continued to receive their wages, Ferrero said. Last year, despite warning signs unveiled in December 2021, the case was only revealed in the spring. The group had acknowledged “internal failures”, in a statement, and had “deeply regretted this case” while offering its “sincere apologies” to consumers and business partners.
Unfortunately, apologies are no longer enough, all Ferrero staff must question themselves and stop thinking that they belong to a powerful group and leader in their market and that everything will be forgiven them. Consumers have long memories and want holy and quality products, which is no longer the case for Ferrero whose products are dangerous to health both in terms of composition and manufacture.
The company has been widely criticized for using palm oil in products, which continues to fuel the demand for palm oil plantations. The production of palm oil is responsible for significant deforestation, it contributes to the disappearance of many species like the Orangutans, the use of highly toxic products and the working conditions in plantations are often deplorable.
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