The matter is taken seriously. After several hospitalizations and deaths of children linked to the bacterium Escherichia coli, possibly linked to the consumption of Buitoni pizzas, the prefect of the North decided to ban production in the Caudry factory. “The industrial activity of food production, with regard to the two pizza production lines of the factory” of Caudry is “stopped”, can we read in a prefectural decree issued on April 1, confirming information from the Duck chained.
This decision “follows two in-depth hygiene inspections” carried out on March 22 and 29 by agents from the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) in the North and the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the repression of fraud (DGCCRF), “as part of their investigations carried out in connection with the E. coli STEC alert”, specifies the prefecture. These inspections “highlighted a degraded level of control of food hygiene in the Caudry plant, which justified the issuance of an order to cease industrial production activities in the plant”.
Negative samples according to Nestlé
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 “of controls and risk management microbiological”. Nestlé, the parent company, took 75 samples from the production line concerned and throughout the factory, “all negative”, said Pierre-Alexandre Teulié, general manager of communication for Nestlé France, on March 31.
Since the end of February, France has experienced a resurgence of cases of kidney failure in children linked to contamination with 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. 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.