Barry Callebaut to restart contaminated factory

Barry Callebaut has announced that it will soon restart its Wieze factory in Belgium after the plant was shut down in late June due to contamination by salmonella. The chocolate company discovered that salmonella-positive lecithin had been supplied and halted production. All products made with this lecithin were recalled from customers and the Belgian Food Safety Authorities were alerted to the incident.

After working with its customers to identify the specific batches impacted by the salmonella, Barry Callebaut stated that none of the affected products had reached store shelves or the retail food chain.

The Wieze factory has been undergoing thorough cleaning and disinfection and the company has announced that production should resume in full gradually, with the first cleaned lines beginning to be used again in early August and the remaining ones to follow.

Barry Callebaut has recommended that its customers destroy product from the plant produced between 25 and 29 June. The salmonella-positive chocolate had not been exported outside of Europe.