After several serious cases of contamination of children by the bacterium Escherichia coli and deaths, possibly related to the consumption of these products, the prefect of the North banned the production of pizzas within the Buitoni factory in Caudry.
“Industrial activity of food production, with regard to the two pizza production lines of the factory” of Caudry is “arrested”can we read in a prefectural decree issued on 1er April that Agence France-Presse (AFP) was able to consult, confirming information from the chained duck.
This decision “follows two thorough hygiene inspections” carried out on March 22 and 29 by agents of the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) in the North and the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), “as part of their investigations carried out in connection with the alert E.coli STEC »said the prefecture to AFP.
These inspections “highlighted a degraded level of food hygiene control in the Caudry plant, which justified the issuance of an order to cease industrial production activities in the plant”. The repeal of the decree and the resumption of production “will be conditional on the factory’s compliance with its obligations in terms of food hygiene”and “controls and control of microbiological risks”.
Wave of contamination
Since the end of February, France has experienced an upsurge in cases of kidney failure in children linked to contamination from E.coli. Several of these cases are linked to the consumption of Fraich’Up pizzas from Buitoni, produced at the Caudry site, the health authorities have confirmed.
If these intoxications generally pass without damage in about ten days, they can in rare cases cause complications, above all in young children and the elderly. It is most often a “hemolytic uremic syndrome” (HUS). This can result in acute kidney failure and serious blood problems, resulting in coma or death.
Nestlé took 75 samples from the affected manufacturing line and throughout the factory, “all negative”, had reported on March 31 to AFP Pierre-Alexandre Teulié, general manager of communication for Nestlé France. An investigation for “manslaughter”, “deception” and “endangering others” was opened in this case on March 22, led by the public health center of the Paris prosecutor’s office.