Ferrero asks Americans to dispose of some Kinder products over Salmonella fears

(Reuters) -Ferrero on Tuesday asked U.S. consumers to dispose of some Kinder chocolate products not authorized for distribution in the country, warning they could be from the batch recently recalled in Europe due to a potential Salmonella Typhimurium contamination.

The confectionary group’s North American division last week recalled Kinder Happy Moments Chocolate Assortment and Kinder Mix Chocolate Treats basket because they were manufactured in a facility where Salmonella was detected.

The voluntary recall on Tuesday is for two products in the U.S.- Kinder Happy Moments Milk Chocolate and Crispy Wafers assortment with a best by date of July 18 and Kinder Mix Chocolate Treats Basket with a best by date of July 30- and affects no other Kinder products distributed or sold by Ferrero’s U.S. arm.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday said Ferrero was also recalling certain Kinder brand chocolate products for the same reason.

The company on Tuesday published an update upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s request to ask Americans to dispose of Kinder products intended for foreign markets yet available for sale in the United States.

Italy’s Ferrero has also recalled several batches of Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs and other products in Spain, Britain and Ireland, while Belgian health authorities have urged consumers not to eat several recalled Kinder products.

Ferrero on Tuesday maintained there were no reports of illness in the United States to date from the chocolates and it was working with the U.S. health agency to address the problem.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)