Lhe investigations into the Buitoni (Nestlé) pizza scandal, contaminated with E. coli bacteria and suspected of having caused the death of two children, were entrusted to an investigating judge on Thursday. The judicial information was opened for manslaughter, involuntary injuries concerning 14 people, marketing of a product dangerous to health and endangering others.
A total of 55 children and one adult were infected, without a direct link having been established to date with the consumption of pizzas. A preliminary investigation had already been underway since March 22 at the public health center of the Paris prosecutor’s office, for “deception on goods, exhibition or sale of corrupt or falsified and harmful food products for health, placing on the market of a product detrimental to health, endangering others, involuntary injury and manslaughter”.
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Lack of hygiene
In this context, searches took place on April 13 in the Caudry factory, in the North, where the pizzas of the Fraîch’Up range were manufactured, and at the headquarters of the Nestlé group, in the Hauts-de-Seine. . In February, the health authorities had been alerted by the resurgence of cases of kidney failure in children, linked to contamination by Escherichia coli. On March 18, Nestlé announced the withdrawal of pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range marketed since June 2021, after being informed of the presence of the bacteria in the dough of a product.
On March 30, the health authorities announced that they had established a link between the consumption of these pizzas and several serious cases of contamination before the prefect of the Nord department banned, two days later, the production of pizzas at the Caudry site. . Inspections had pointed out the presence of rodents and the lack of maintenance and cleaning of the manufacturing, storage and passage areas. Shortcomings which could be the cause of the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the products then marketed.