Kinder eggs withdrawn from the market: what is involved, what are the effects of salmonella and how the case was handled in Portugal
Portugal is one of the countries that removed batches of Kinder eggs from circulation, but it is not one of the countries where they were found to be contaminated. “The important thing now is to mark all the questions they may have and leave no room for any doubts”
There are already 1 cases of salmonella poisoning linked to the prevention and control of Kinder chocolate in Germany identified by the European Center for Prevention and Control,63 of which in the United Kingdom, 20 in France and 10. So far, there are registered cases in Portugal, where the situation to be followed by the Directorate-General and Veterinary, which guarantees that the contaminated lots did not come to Portugal. Despite this, and batch for prevention, several countries were removed from Portuguese supermarkets, as happened in other countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.
Although there are no cases of poisoning in Portugal, this is a delicate situation for the brand, explains to CNN Portugal Marta Bicho, specialist in communication and marketing. “We are facing a crisis situation. It is a moderate crisis because, so far, there are no cases in Portugal, but, despite everything, it is a crisis and it is necessary to act”, she says. In these types of situations, it is important that a brand reacts quickly and it is crucial that it does so “proactively”, that is, a brand must intervene before and on several fronts. “In this case, the brand proactively decided to withdraw the lots from the market and that was positive”, she says. The occurrence of problems that must occur is, of course, with the health of consumers, to ensure that there is no intoxication. All this happens a few days before Easter, the consumption of chocolate eggs is usually high,
The communication performance phase: “It is certainly already the perception of quality of the quality of the communication that will happen. Kinder is a brand that will happen in second place. It is a brand that consumers trusted. And now, for sure, that that confidence will be shaken”, he predicts. “Even more because it is a product for children, the impact is much greater than other segments.” is that it is safer that the children are not guaranteed by the parents, that it is always the eggs of protection themselves, that they are in danger of buying chocolates whenever they do not, that they are apprehensive that they are not safe, that it is always the children of protective in a relationship that has a lot to do with your health or safety.
“The important thing now is to mark all the questions that they may have and leave no room for any doubts”, explains Marta Bicho. For example, regarding the withdrawal of products from the market, this expert considers that it could have been more comprehensive, even if this was not necessary in terms of public health to send a signal to the public that there is no chance that the products for sale are contaminated. “One has to minimize the effects of this situation on the perception of the brand’s quality and the associations that can be made with other products of the same brand.
Therefore, after the products are withdrawn from the market, an information and communication campaign must be carried out, either through the media or through social networks. “It could be a good idea, more than a press release, to do a press conference to show that you are available to answer questions. And communicate directly with consumers, nowadays there are already several channels that allow it.”
What are the risks of ingesting salmonella?
“The outbreak is characterized by an unusually high dimension,” of hospitalized children, some with grave clinical symptoms such as diarrhea with ECDC information. “Other questions where there is public information are identified by public health authorities and there is no market information identified by public health authorities and unidentified.
Salmonella is a bacterium that, when ingested (usually through water or food), causes gastroenteritis, that is, “an infectious process of the digestive tract”, explains to CNN Portugal the doctor Mário Espiga de Macedo, a specialist in internal medicine. at Hospital Lusíadas Porto.
According to this doctor, the main symptoms associated with the ingestion of salmonella are fever, diarrhea – which can be intense -, cramps, vomiting and a general malaise. “In the case of children and toddlers it can lead to a rapid child,” this situation says. For this reason, while ingestion of a small amount may not be serious, it can also often “require some attention and even medical care.” Fluid intake, diet and a lot of reserve are recommended. care, the situation will be overcome within a week. In the most serious cases, we can be medicines.