The Foodwatch organization has reported Kinder Ferrero and Buitoni – Nestlé to the French judiciary in connection with food safety crises that have led to hundreds of cases of illness and some deaths among children.
Adding to the culpable disaster was the irresponsible handling of both food safety crises, by the two giants, with aggravated consumer deception. And it is time for the legal representatives of the two giants to answer for their crimes.
Foodwatch denounces Ferrero and Buitoni-Nestlé
Foodwatch France’s initiative follows two successive food security crises in the first half of 2022 in France and other countries. Reverberating unchecked across Europe and the world.
First Buitoni-Nestlé’s Fraîch’Up frozen pizzas, then Ferrero’s Kinder products caused culpable disasters to the detriment of mainly the youngest consumers, as it turned out.
Salmonella in Kinder Ferrero products
The consumer association Foodwatch recalls the events and tragedies that occurred in France.
‘A child screaming in pain at night, to the point that he has to be taken to the hospital. Another child hospitalized at age 3 after eating Kinder on his brother’s birthday. A 2-year-old girl bedridden for 11 days after consuming Kinder Sorpresa offered to her by her grandmother. Even a 6-year-old boy hospitalized for salmonellosis whose enzymes match those of a person with heart attack.
81 victims of salmonellosis were identified by Public Health France on May 4, 2022. 324 victims identified May 18 Europe-wide from contaminated Kinder. The cross-checking of information continues, so the number of victims is likely to increase‘.
E. coli bacteria in Buitoni-Nestlé pizza.
More serious is the damage caused by Buitoni-Nestlé’s Fraîch’Up pizzas.
‘A 12-year-old girl in a vegetative state who no longer responds to stimuli from those around her. An infant died eight hours after birth, probably contaminated intrauterine. An 8-year-old boy who died in Paris from severe hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)..
To date, Santé Publique France has identified 56 people infected with E. coli bacteria. Among the victims were 55 children. Two died. The cause? Consumption of contaminated Fraîch’Up pizzas, from the Nestlé giant’s Buitoni brand.‘.
The politics of the ostrich
In both food safety crises , Foodwatch reports, it was health authorities who raised the alarm, as a result of the epidemic spikes. In the inaction of the Big Food giants who would thus have violated the rules underlying the General Food Law.
In the event of food safety hazards on goods that have already escaped from its direct control, the responsible operator must in fact promptly inform the authorities and arrange for the immediate recall of the products, with notice to consumers on the causes of the problem (EC Reg. 178/02, Article 19). But this does not seem to have happened. Ferrero and Nestlé have indeed tried to downplay.
‘The hygiene at the Nestlé Group’s Buitoni factory was so deplorable that the prefect of the North had to order its immediate closure in early April. As for Ferrero, the group finally admitted that it detected salmonella in its Arlon plant in Belgium on December 15… Once again, it was the authorities who permanently shut down the Kinder plant on April 8, after concluding that the multinational company did not give it all the guarantees in terms of health safety‘.
In support of Foodwatch
Foodwatch France urges all consumers to sign the letter supporting the initiative and share the news. He also asks people to participate with donations, according to their means, to support the work of the organization.
‘Digging, cross-checking, disclosing, compiling, verifying, alerting, supporting victims — this fight we are waging against food scandals will be a long one. Giving us a donation each month means actively participating in our actions. A 100% independent association, our meticulous work is only possible because of your financial support‘.
Marta Strinati
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
