BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities on Friday ordered the closure of a Kinder chocolate factory suspected to be behind a wave of Salmonella cases in several European countries and the United States.
The factory, owned by Italian confectionery giant Ferrero, was ordered shut “following the findings of the last few hours that information provided by Ferrero is incomplete,” Belgium’s food safety authority AFSCA said in a statement.
The authority also ordered the recall of the factory’s entire production of the company’s popular Kinder brand — a huge blow to Ferrero at the height of the Easter holiday season.
“Such a decision is never taken lightly, but the current circumstances make it necessary. The food security of our citizens can never be neglected,” Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval said in a statement.
Ferrero on Thursday recalled certain varieties of its Kinder chocolates in the United States which came from the factory, in Belgium’s southeastern town of Arlon.
That followed recalls earlier this week in the United Kingdom and several European countries over concerns about products from the factory, although no Kinder items have so far been found to contain the disease.
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause symptoms including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps in humans, and is one of the most common food-borne infections.
Most cases are caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with animal or human faeces.
Britain’s Food Standards Agency has said 63 cases of salmonella have been identified across the UK.
In France, 21 cases have been reported and 15 reported having eaten Kinder products that have now been recalled, according to the French public health service.
Belgium shuts Kinder chocolate factory over Salmonella
https://arab.news/w97yk
Belgium shuts Kinder chocolate factory over Salmonella
- The authority also ordered the recall of the factory's entire production of the company's popular Kinder brand
- “The food security of our citizens can never be neglected," Belgian Agriculture Minister said
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
