Salmonella Outbreak Shutters World's Biggest Chocolate Factory

A Swiss-owned chocolate factory in Belgium, hailed as the world's largest, has temporarily closed its doors after salmonella was discovered in a production batch, CNN Business' Manveena Suri and Chris Liakos reported.

Photo Insert: The company said preventive actions have been taken, including the recall of all products manufactured from the time of testing.

Barry Callebaut halted production at its Wieze, Belgium, plant on Monday, the company said in a statement Thursday. The government tourism website Visit Flanders confirmed that the Wieze plant is the world's largest chocolate factory.

"For Barry Callebaut food safety is paramount. Our robust food safety programs in place allowed us to quickly identify lecithin as the source of the contamination," the business stated in a statement, adding that Belgian food authorities (FAVV) were notified of the incident.

According to the company, preventive actions have been taken, including the recall of all products manufactured from the time of testing. Wieze production will be halted till further notice.

"We are currently reaching out to all customers who may have received impacted products," according to the statement. Barry Callebaut also stated that no contaminated chocolate had "entered the retail food chain."

The company, which made nearly $8 billion in sales in the fiscal year 2020-2021, produces chocolate for other chocolate makers, including small chocolatiers and big-name brands, though it declined to provide the names of its customers when asked by CNN Business' Anna Cooban.

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