The Barry Callebaut factory in Belgium hit by salmonella contamination two months ago is “gradually” returning to capacity, the chocolate maker says.
In June, ingredients supplier Barry Callebaut stopped output at its facility in the town of Wieze after finding salmonella in a batch of products.
At the time, the Switzerland-based company – one of the world’s largest business-to-business suppliers of chocolate – said none of the affected products made at the site entered the retail food chain.
However, the contamination had consequences for some of its customers – and some are feeling the impact, with their own production still not back to what it was before the scare.
“The Wieze factory is continuing to gradually ramp up to full capacity over the following weeks,” Barry Callebaut said in a statement.
In total, there are 24 production lines at the Wieze factory. Barry Callebaut did not return a request for comment on how many of the lines have restarted.
The statement continued: “Even though Barry Callebaut is doing its utmost to restart deliveries as soon as possible to all of its customers, it should be noted that the cleaning procedure is a highly time-consuming process, which should be strictly followed in order to ensure food safety and the safety of our employees.”
It added: “We understand that certain customers might be impacted by the temporary disruption of the supply of Belgian chocolate by Barry Callebaut which could potentially indirectly lead to certain gaps in the market. We are doing our utmost to minimize the impact on our customers. Together with our customers, we are showing the necessary entrepreneurship and creativity to get through this period as well as possible.”
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