Caudry (F)
The Buitoni factory at the heart of a serious health scandal is closed once more
The activity has been suspended due to a drop in sales, Nestlé France announced on Thursday. It is from this factory that the contaminated pizzas that killed two people in 2022 came out.
Updated
The factory had partially reopened in December, but the production line in question had never resumed its activity.
AFP
Nestle France announced Thursday to employees the suspension of the activity of the Buitoni pizza factory in Caudry (northern France), at the heart of a serious health scandal, due to a drop in sales, the group said on Friday , raising fears of the eventual closure of the establishment.
The plant, which partially reopened in December, produced pizzas raw dough from the Fraîch’Up range, suspected of having caused the death of two children and the poisoning of dozens of others by the bacterium Escherichia coli. The production line in question had never resumed its activity.
Owner of Buitoni, Nestlé had launched a massive recall of the products concerned on March 18, 2022. Since then, analyzes have confirmed “a link between several cases and the consumption of frozen pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range of the Buitoni brand contaminated with bacteria Escherichia coli”, according to a press release published at the end of March by the General Directorate of Health, which depends on the French government.
Investigation opened for manslaughter and deception
The health authorities had given the alert following dozens of French children were got sick. Two have died, although the connection to the pizzas has not been confirmed in either case. A survey formanslaughter“, “deception” and “endangering others” was opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
In addition to France, Belgium and Luxembourg, these pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range have been distributed in Switzerland, Andorra, Saint-Martin, Slovenia, Qatar, as well as in many African countries.
(AFP)
