Two children have died and fifty-three others have become seriously ill after eating pizza infected with the dangerous E. coli bacterium.
– I served death on my daughter’s plate. Fortunately, she survived, says mother Stéphanie Carlier.
The current food poisoning that is shaking France is considered to be the worst in the 2000s. Two children have died and fifty-three other children have become seriously ill after eating frozen pizza of a well-known international brand. An adult has also fallen ill.
The pizzas were infected by the dreaded E. coli bacterium (Escherichia coli).
– Without knowing it, I served death on my daughter Coline’s plate. I feel enormous guilt for what happened, says Stéphanie Carlier.
She is the mother of 11-year-old Coline who fought against death for several weeks.
The family lives in Créteil east of Paris.
Like every Friday night, the family bought frozen pizza at the supermarket. This was at the end of January. Five days later, Coline had severe stomach pains and she discovered blood in the stool. Despite medication, nothing got better.
– When urine samples were taken, it was Coca-Cola-colored, says Stéphanie who is a nurse.
When Coline was transported to a specialist hospital in Paris, the ambulance drove against the speed limits and the sirens were on. The doctors found that it was the dangerous E. coli bacterium. It can end up in food as a result of poor hygiene.
– I went straight to the point and asked: Will my girl die? she says.
Father Fabien and mother Stéphanie watched every night in the hospital. They were beside themselves with worry. In the rooms next door, two small children died. They had eaten pizza of the same brand as Coline.
– But our daughter was strong and survived. We were lucky in the bad luck, says dad Fabien Muller.
These are three types of pizzas from the Buitoni brand and which have been exported to 23 countries in Europe and Africa. No information so far indicates that they were sold in Sweden.
Several families have now sued the pizza producer for ‘Danger of causing another person’s death’ in accordance with French criminal law. The penalty can be two years in prison if someone is singled out as responsible, as well as tens of thousands of euros in fines for the company.
– Some children are in a coma and others receive dialysis, says defense lawyer Richard Legrand when he receives in the office on the avenue Champs-Elysées. He is also a food specialist and teaches at universities.
French media were already warned last summer about employees at a production site, where employees should not have washed their hands after using the toilet. Then they should have touched dough and vegetables without gloves.
– Photo evidence of rats and worms also leaked out, the lawyer says.
Nevertheless, the authorities did not react.
The pizza producer Buitoni takes the incident very seriously.
“We want to understand what may have happened,” says the food company, which is headquartered in Italy. The company has been owned by the giant Nestle since 1988.
In Europe, severe food poisoning occurs from time to time. Before Easter 2022, the National Food Administration announced that dozens of people had been infected with Kinderägg in Sweden, Ireland, the United Kingdom and France.
– Food is sometimes produced at the lowest possible cost. It is a shame that it can affect the health of young children, comments Coline’s mother Stéphanie.