From the Salmonella in low moisture foods file: Aldi recalls Choceur Treasures chocolate

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Last weekend I taught Jack and Sam about Salmonella contamination in low moisture foods like chocolate – through the somewhat creepy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Early on in the golden ticket winners visit, Augustus Gloop (which is also a decent band name) falls into the factory’s open chocolate river. Knowing that Salmonella is hearty, especially when stressed in a low moisture environment, and that the chocolate didn’t have a post-river kill step, Wonka yells ‘ You are dirtying my chocolate!’.10881542_733085970120889_7656214917050489571_n

In related news, a UK retailer, Aldi, is according to The Telegraph, recalling chocolate due to Salmonella contamination.

Aldi, the discount supermarket, is recalling packs of chocolate after salmonella was detected in a batch. The Food Standards Agency has issued a product recall notice for 200g Choceur Treasures with a best before date of Sept 1. The bacteria was found in a batch of the product that has been on sale in Aldi stores in the Midlands region. The chocolates – a whole hazelnut wrapped in waffle and milk chocolate – at the centre of the scare have been on sale in around 100 stores. Locations if shops include Birmingham, Worcester, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Grantham.

Maybe someone fell into their chocolate river.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.