In April 2022, the Kinder brand lost 40% of its turnover usually achieved at Easter and 60% of the trust of its customers. In question: the 150 cases of salmonellosis reported throughout Europe, including 81 in France, having mainly affected children under 10 years of age.
Ferrero, owner of Kinder, had to recall all of its chocolates produced at the Arlon (Belgium) site, i.e. 7% of its global production. A year following this health scandal, the brand would have succeeded in reconnecting with its consumers, reports Capital, this Wednesday.
Efforts to communicate with consumers
Despite the 3,000 tons of products destroyed, the thousands of calls from consumers and the tens of millions of euros lost, the detection of salmonellosis in Kinder products seems to be a distant memory. “Consumers who have not been affected have probably already forgotten regarding this case,” said Nelly Garnier, director of the Crisis Observatory at Havas. “Health crises on food are recurrent. In many cases, it does not affect the reputation of brands. »
As proof, the sales of other Ferrero products have not been impacted in the long term. The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Belgian Food Chain (AFSCA) also allowed the affected site to resume production in mid-September 2022. To regain the trust of disappointed customers, the group would have opted for the right strategy according to Nelly Garnier: “They preferred to communicate rather than remain silent, which would have generated mistrust. »
A confidence index already almost restored
In May 2022, a few weeks following the start of the case, the general manager of Ferrero France had even met five consumers during a special interview organized by The Parisian. Factory visits were also organized in Normandy and special events took place in stores from the start of the school year to Christmas 2022.
The strategy paid off: according to the group’s figures, Kinder would have taken over 80% of its confidence index and would have experienced a turnover up 1.5% over the last six months. Ferrero has also stepped up its health checks with the implementation of tests carried out by an independent laboratory. Finally, the group has invested several tens of millions of euros to consolidate its on-site food safety plan, proof of its good faith in the matter.