A mother whose child fell ill after eating a Buitoni pizza containing the E.coli bacteria, received vouchers from the brand as compensation.
Several Buitoni brand pizzas have been recalled from supermarkets because they contained traces of the E.coli bacteria. These contaminated products have triggered serious food poisoning. Many consumers have suffered complications. Public Health France has confirmed 53 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome, including two deaths.
Among the victims are mainly children. At least 48 infected people are children aged 1 to 17. The bacteria created toxins that were able to seep into any area of the body. Some children have been plunged into a coma and have developed neurological damage that could be irreversible.
The mother of one of these children who fell ill came forward to Buitoni to report her case. The brand offered compensation to the mother of the family in the form of vouchers for the amount of 20 euros, reports the daily The voice of the North. An inappropriate gesture when the brand has endangered the health of his child.
Aware of her oddity, Buitoni made a point of officially apologizing to this family and to all her clients. “It shouldn’t have been done. We would like to offer our most sincere apologies to this consumer who may have been offended by the receipt of these vouchers. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”said a spokesperson for the brand.
Why Buitoni made such a mistake with this mother?
While the entire Fraich’up range of Buitoni pizzas was suspected of being contaminated with E.coli bacteria, thus endangering its customers, how could the brand have thought of this gesture?
Buitoni, who apologized, explained that it was an automatic process error. After being alerted by the departmental directorate for the protection of populations of the trace of contamination, the brand launched a procedure for reimbursement of the customer. Therefore “the person received vouchers, as is the case for those who requested a refund for their pizzas following the massive recall of March 18. This should not have been done”, explains Buitoni who regrets his gesture.
The brand is committed to continuing its research to understand how such contamination could have occurred. “This situation is all the more intolerable for us as children are concerned”, said the spokesperson for the brand.
The Buitoni factory in Caudry in Hauts-de-France which produced these contaminated pizzas has been closed. An investigation has also been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office for “manslaughter”, “deception” and “endangering others” by Buitoni.