Locations of the chocolate manufacturer Ferrero were searched in Belgium and Luxembourg. The suspicion: The Italians could have informed the authorities too late about salmonella.

Rome The police in Belgium and Luxembourg searched several locations of the “Nutella” producer Ferrero on Wednesday. In the salmonella scandal, the investigators hope to gain new insights. In April, just under a week before Easter, the Belgian food safety authority had withdrawn the production license from a plant in the city of Arlon because cases of salmonella in small children were increasing in several European countries.

Ferrero, one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers, then recalled products such as “Kinder” surprise eggs, “Schoko-Bons” or Advent calendars in various markets.

Ferrero then admitted that he had known about a salmonella case in Arlon since December. At that time, the contamination was discovered in a sieve at the outlet of two raw material tanks in the plant, the products were held back and the filters replaced.

Production restarted a few weeks later. The Italians later acknowledged “delays in recalls and information sharing.”