Italy recalls Orion's China-made snack over 'unfit for consumption'

Italian health authorities have deemed a China-made snack from Orion unfit for consumption and issued an emergency recall. The unusual recall order, which does not specify the exact defect, has halted sales of the product across local retail channels.

According to Italy's Ministry of Health on Nov. 4, authorities announced a sales suspension and recall of two lots of Orion snack products on Nov. 3. The affected product is a 104g 'savory snack with sugar and sweeteners' produced at a Chinese factory and imported and sold by local distributor Iton Srl.

The recall covers products with manufacturing lot numbers '61923-2GD102026' and '61923-2GD152026'. Their best-before dates are Jan. 19, 2027 and March 25, 2027, respectively. With shelf life remaining for a considerable period, the products are likely to be found not only on store shelves but also in the homes of consumers who have already purchased them.

The measure is unusual in that authorities did not disclose a specific reason for the recall. Italy's Ministry of Health typically states clear grounds for recalls, such as undeclared allergens, microbial contamination, chemical residues exceeding limits, or foreign matter. However, this notice only says the product has 'characteristics that do not allow consumption' and classifies the case under 'other recall reasons'. No specific contaminant or defect type was included in the document.

Distributor Iton has advised consumers to immediately stop consuming products matching the lot numbers and best-before dates as a precaution. Retailers and distributors have been instructed to immediately halt sales and distribution, remove the products from shelves, and return them to suppliers. Under Italian food recall regulations, consumers who have already purchased the product can return it to the place of purchase for a refund or exchange regardless of whether they have a receipt.

Giovanni D'Agata, chairman of local consumer rights group Sportello dei Diritti, urged consumers: 'Products belonging to these lots must never be consumed, and buyers should promptly return them to the point of sale.'

※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.