July 04, 2022
12:22
After the discovery of salmonella in the largest chocolate factory in the world, located in Belgium, Barry Callebaut will destroy hundreds of tons of chocolate.
Barry Callebaut will destroy, from this Monday, several hundred tons of chocolate that the chocolatier can no longer use after the discovery of salmonella in its factory in Wiezein East Flanders, group spokesman Korneel Warlop said on Sunday.
Thirty trucks will be chartered to transport the contaminated chocolate. This will also have to be evacuated from the tanks and production lines of the factory before the latter are restarted. Before being destroyed, the chocolate will be transformed into blocks of five kilos.
An investigation is underway to determine the source of the contamination.
This destruction process will take place in Belgium, where the chocolate that had already been delivered to other food companies will also be transported. Agreements have been made on this subject with the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (Afsca) and insurers.
The management of the Wieze plant has also entered into agreements with unions so that a special work regulation is put in place in the absence, for the moment, of technical unemployment for the 600 employees of the Flemish company.
No risk of shortage
It is not currently known when the plant will be able to return to normal operation, an investigation being in particular in progress in order to determine the source of the contamination. In any case, it will not restart before having obtained the green light from Afsca.
Finally, despite the significant impact of this crisis, there is no no immediate threat of shortage, said the spokesperson. “Most of our customers still have three to four weeks of stock left. After that it will all depend on how quickly we can restart,” he said.