Contaminated pizzas: the Buitoni factory in Caudry authorized to partially reopen


“We are approaching this reopening by continuing to be part of a process of proof and transparency vis-à-vis everyone,” reacted Nestlé.

The North prefecture authorized Friday the partial resumption of production in the Buitoni pizza factory in Caudry (North) of the Nestlé group, at the heart of a serious health scandal, which had been closed for nine months. The line producing raw dough pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range, suspected of having caused the death of two children and the poisoning of dozens of other Escherichia coli bacteria, will remain shut down. On the other hand, the prefect of the North announced in a press release on Friday that he had authorized, in a decree with immediate effect, the reopening of “the line of pizzas with cooked dough, exclusively“, considering that on this part of the plant, “control of pizza production conditionswas reached.

This restart follows a process of several months, in consultation with the authorities, to meet detailed specifications on the security of our supplies, our products and on a plan to modernize the plant.“Nestlé reacted to AFP. “We approach this reopening by continuing to be part of a process of proof and transparency vis-à-vis all“, added the group, specifying that”the terms of recovery“would be”communicated in the next few days“. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for for months, so we’re happy. It’s going in the right direction“, rejoiced Stéphane Derammelaere, Force Ouvrière delegate within the factory. “After that is a step. We still need consumers to come back and buy our products.»

Public Health France (SPF) and the Fraud Prevention Department (DGCCRF) were alerted in February 2021 by an upsurge in cases of kidney failure in children, linked to contamination by Escherichia coli. On March 18, Nestlé had recalled its pizzas and closed the two production lines, and on April 1, the prefecture had banned all activity there, the health authorities having established a link between the consumption of Fraîch’Up pizzas and several serious cases of E.coli contamination. After searches in Caudry and at the headquarters of Nestlé in the Hauts-de-Seine, a judicial investigation was opened in mid-May, in particular for involuntary homicide against one person and involuntary injuries concerning 14 others.

The factory had been closed due toanomalies in terms of hygiene of premises and foodstuffs (…), and in terms of food safety“, had recently reminded the prefecture to AFP, without detailing these anomalies. According to her, Nestlé, owner of the Buitoni brand, only intended to resume the production of pizzas with cooked dough.

“Lack of maintenance”

This recovery was conditional on various operations of “maintenance, cleaning-disinfection“, and “strengthening the health control plan“, had specified the prefecture. In July, the boss of Nestlé France, Christophe Cornu, presented in our columns his “excusesto the families of affected children and announced the creation of avictim support fund“. Nestlé France had indicated that it had taken more than 2,000 samples and had not detected any bacteria on the production lines and their environment (walls, grids, etc.), but had indeed detected the bacteria on frozen pizzas produced between October 2021 and the February 16, 2022.

According to internal analyzes conducted by the company,the most probable hypothesis” is that “flour contamination by E.coli STEC bacteria“, of the same type as that found in the pizzas at the origin of the contaminations. Other possible causes have also been put forward, such as cleaning and hygiene conditions, after several warnings in the past and accusatory testimonies from employees.

Health authority inspections for several years had reported “the presence of rodents” and the “lack of maintenance and cleaning of manufacturing, storage and passage areasin the factory, according to the prefectural decree of April 1. In October, Nestlé Chairman Paul Bulcke said he wanted to go “To the bottomof the question to understand what happened at the Caudry factory.



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