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HEALTH

Olive oil, chocolate: here are the products being recalled in Spain

The Spanish food agency has issued alerts due to a cluster of salmonella and reports of adulterated olive oil. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 9 April 2022 15:31 CEST
Olive oil, chocolate: here are the products being recalled in Spain
Olives are pictured in Antequera on October 9, 2019. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

Spanish residents were asked to check their cabinets at the weekend as the country’s food safety agency Aesan issued two warnings regarding chocolate products and olive oil.

So, what is going on?

First, Aesan issued an alert about the processing, packaging, and clandestine distribution of oil labelled as “virgin olive” and “extra virgin olive” from Spain, which is in fact vegetable oil made from seeds or a mixture of grains.

The alert came after the agency received a notification from the health authorities of the Region of Murcia.

READ ALSO: Ten ingredients you should NEVER have in a real Spanish paella

You can find a list of the affected products here.

According to the available information, the initial distribution of the products has been mainly in the region of Murcia. However, it has also been distributed to Catalonia, the Basque Country and the Valencian Community.

Authorities haven’t ruled out the possibility that the oil has been distributed to other regions.

As a precautionary measure, Aesan recommends that people who have bought the suspect products refrain from consuming them and return them to the points of sale.

The Ferrero chocolate recall

A broader issue that has also affected other European countries just ahead of Easter is the announcement by chocolate manufacturer Ferrero that it is recalling several types of sweets due to the identification of cases of salmonella, including in children.

READ ALSO: How Spain invented modern chocolate – and kept it secret for 100 years

The company issues the recall for chocolates in its Kinder brand including Schokobons, Kinder Überraschung, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Mix, and Kinder Maxi Mix, which are all in the list of products recalled. You can see a complete list here.

An cluster of salmonella cases sounded the alarm bells at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Early this week, 134 cases had been reported, mainly among children under 10 years of age.

The authorities tracked the origin of the infections to “specific chocolate products.”

Ferrero, the Italian chocolate producer that owns brands like Nutella, Kinder, and Ferrero Rocher, said it has identified a genotype match between reported salmonella cases in Europe and its plant in Arlon, Belgium. Production in that factory has since been shut down.

The company identified a filter in a raw material tank at the factory as being culpable and is currently investigating the case.

READ ALSO: Spain to ban sugary food and drink ads targeting kids

“Ferrero took actions, including the removal of the filter, and significantly increased the already high level of controls on semi-finished and finished products”, the manufacturer stated.

Consumers should avoid any of the products mentioned and can return them at any point of sale, according to the food safety authorities.

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HEALTH

How to add a beneficiary to your social security and healthcare in Spain

If you pay into the social security system in Spain, which you will do automatically if you work or are self-employed, then you have the right to access several benefits and so do some of your family members.

Published: 26 June 2024 11:56 CEST
How to add a beneficiary to your social security and healthcare in Spain

Did you know that you can add beneficiaries to your social security benefits, even if they don’t work, meaning they can access healthcare too? This includes anyone who is dependent on you such as a husband, wife or your children.

Here are all the people you can legally add to your social security:

  • Your legal spouse
  • Your civil union partner (pareja de hecho)
  • Your ex-spouse or judicially separated in cases in which there is the right to receive a compensatory pension from the insured partner
  • Your children or children of a legal partner under 26 years old
  • Children older than 26 if they have a disability of over 65 percent
  • Your grandchildren under 26 years old, if they are not beneficiaries of their parents
  • Your siblings if they are under 26 years old, dependent on you and are not already beneficiaries of someone else
  • Your foster child under 18 years old

READ ALSO – GUIDE: How to register with Spain’s social security system

How do I add a beneficiary?

You can add someone to your social security with or without a digital certificate or in person, depending on what is easier for you. If you have one, it will be easier to use that and identify yourself online.

With a digital certificate or similar

The first step is to access the social security platform on the Social Security website, then log-in to your Social Security (TUSS) portal. You can identify yourself using the digital certificate, Cl@ve PIN, via a text message or a Spanish DNI number.

You need to digitally identify yourself on the Social Security website. Source: Seguridad Social

Navigate to the health care section – Asistencia Sanitaria and click on ‘Añadir un nuevo beneficiario’ or ‘Add new beneficiary’ and fill in the corresponding boxes with their information such as name, date of birth, NIE/DNI number, your relationship to them, and country of birth. Then click on ‘Continuar‘ (Continue) at the bottom of the screen and simply submit your application. 

Fill out the necessary details of the beneficiary. Source: Seguridad Social
 

Online without a digital certificate or similar

Firstly you’ll need to go to the following social security website. All you will need is to have access to an e-mail address and to be able to take a digital photo of yourself holding your ID card, this should be your TIE card if you’re from a non-EU country or your green card and passport if you’re from an EU country.

Firstly, you will need to click ‘solicante‘ if you are filling it out yourself. Next, complete your details such as name, type of document and date of birth. You will also need your support number.

Fill out your details so you can be identified without your digital certificate. Source: Seguridad Social

You will then need to upload the photo of you holding your ID, plus images of your ID card, front and back.

On the next page, you will be asked to fill out more personal information, as well as all the information of the beneficiary you want to add.

Finally, you will need to add supporting documentation such as your marriage certificate, birth certificate of your child etc, whatever officially proves your relationship with them. For children under three months old, this documentation is not necessary, since the Civil Registry automatically sends this data to social security.

Finally, click the button to give your consent. ‘Doy mi Consentimiento’ and then review all the details before submitting your application. You will then receive a code via e-mail, which you must introduce, along with your digital signature, to finalise the process.

In-person

You can also apply in person at a Social Security Assistance and Information Centre (CAISS), by appointment, or by ordinary mail to the Provincial Directorate of the INSS. You will need all the same documentation as above.

It’s a good idea to make digital photocopies of these documents, as well as bring the originals.

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