Barry Callebaut Group has suspended production of their chocolates due to salmonella.
On June 25, 2022, one of the world’s leading Swiss manufacturers of high-quality chocolate & cocoa products, halted the production of its chocolates. In a news release, Barry Callebauet said they detected a salmonella-positive production lot manufactured in Wieze, a small town in Belgium.
A Barry Callebaut Group internal food safety team quickly identified lecithin, an emulsifier used in chocolate, as the culprit. Because lecithin is used in most of their products, an investigation is currently underway to track the spread. At this time, all production at this factory has been paused.
At this point, according to the company, there are no issues with consumers getting sick.
Barry Callebauet sells its product to over 70 clients and is not direct-to-consumers. All vendors are being contacted directly by the company and asked to reject/stop the use of all products received since June 25, 2022. According to the company, finding the source of the outbreak is Barry Callebaut’s top priority. Once they complete their thorough root-cause analysis, and clean and disinfect the production line, manufacturing will resume.
