2023-11-13 18:11:43
Also read: The Buitoni affair leaves Nestlé shareholders unmoved
The death of two children
At the start of 2022, the Caudry factory found itself at the heart of the scandal over frozen raw pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range, which could have caused the death of two children in France and the poisoning of dozens of others by the bacterium Escherichia coli. These pizzas were not sold in Switzerland.
The factory partially reopened in mid-December 2022 after nine months of shutdown. Last spring, the site’s activity was suspended due to falling sales. The definitive closure was then announced at the end of March. Last summer, the factory’s management and unions signed an employment protection plan (PSE) concerning 125 employees at the site, which is scheduled to close on December 31.
Read also: Contaminated pizza scandal: Nestlé reaches agreement with families of victims
“This acquisition project could respond to the commitments made by the management of Nestlé in France, with regard to the employees of the SPAC and the territory, to relaunch a production activity through a solid and lasting project with prospects employment and investment in the territory,” assures the press release.
Nestlé exits the frozen pizza market
Following this health scandal, Nestlé announced last April that it was withdrawing from the frozen pizza sector in Europe. The group has created a joint venture dedicated to these activities, with the French investment fund PAI Partners, in which the agri-food giant retains only a minority share with voting rights equal to its partner.
Read also: Contaminated pizzas: Nestlé announces the closure of the Buitoni factory in France
Nestlé’s frozen pizza business represents 400 million francs in annual revenue, the multinational indicated at the time.
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