2023-04-18 09:49:15
The contamination caused the death of two children and the intoxication of dozens
Nestl France indemnify dozens of victims of the Buitoni pizza scandal contaminated by the bacteria E. coliwhich caused the death of two children and the poisoning of dozens of others, within the framework of a friendly agreement that closes the civil part of the matter.
“In order to contribute, within a reasonable period of time, to the appeasement of the victims and their families, Nestlé France decided to start a compensation process“, the company indicated this Monday, April 17. On March 31, an agreement was signed whose amount has not been disclosed.
“Each of those affected will receive from Nestlé France a compensation proposal, which will follow a medical evaluation and which take into account, in an equitable manner, the seriousness of the harm and each situation”, stressed the Swiss subsidiary.
Two children had died and dozens more had become seriously ill after ingesting in 2022 Frach’Up pizzas from Buitonifrom su fbrica de Caudry (Norte-Paso de Calais).
This process must “allow in the long term a fair repair adequate to the damages suffered,” lawyer Pierre Debuisson, who represents 63 times.
Debuisson had cited Nestl for “serious misconduct” before the Nanterre court and claimed compensation of €250 million For your customers. The hearing was set for the May 9, 2023but this friendly agreement suspends the summons.
“In the framework of civil proceedings, friendly agreements are common and allow the civil dispute to end without stopping the criminal action“, which “runs its course,” Nestl said.
In May 2022 a judicial investigation was opened in Paris, in particular for involuntary manslaughter against two victims and unintentional injuries against 14 others, according to a judicial source.
Nestl has not yet been charged. The group “continues to collaborate with the judicial authorities” and “will fully assume its responsibilities,” he added.
factory closure
One year after the case, the number one in the world agri-food sector announced at the end of March 2023 the definitive closure of its Caudry factorywhich had partially recovered in mid-December, evoking the drop in its sales.
“The frozen pizza market has fallen by 20% in one year,” a drop that “has further impacted the Buitoni brand,” a Nestl France spokesman said.
Public Health France (SPF) and the Fraud Repression Directorate were alerted in February 2022 by a resurgence of fraud cases. kidney failure in childrenlinked to contamination by E. coli bacteria.
The health authorities alleged on March 18, 2022 a “possible link” With the consumption of pizzas by children, Nestlé had withdrawn its Frach’Up products and closed the two production lines of the factory.
The link was finally established at the end of March and the Caudry factory had to cease its activity by order of the prefecture.
In a May 2022 report, Public Health France had registered 56 confirmed cases related to E. coli contamination, 55 of them in children, with an average age of six years.
Most presented hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which generally results in acute renal failure and severe blood problems, with possible consequences of eat or die.
Nestl explains that “flour contamination” is the “most likely” explanation for the presence of the bacteria on its pizzas. But according to the prefecture, the sanitary inspections have revealed “the presence of rodents” and the “lack of maintenance and cleanliness of the manufacturing areas.
In July, Nestl France issued its “apologies” to the families of the affected children and announced the creation of a “support fund to the victims”. “We are doing everything possible so that this event is never repeated and we assume our responsibilities“, reiterated this Monday, April 17, its president, Muriel Lienau.
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