This Thursday, the French firm Lactalis and the company Celia Laiterie de Craon were indicted for aggravated deception, involuntary injuries and non-execution of withdrawal and recall measures.
This indictment comes in the case of salmonella contamination of infant milk which affected dozens of infants at the end of 2017, the group announced in a press release.
The two companies were also placed under judicial supervision with a bond of 300,000 euros each, according to the group, information confirmed by a judicial source.
That ” marks the start of the legal investigation in which Lactalis will fully and transparently commit », assures Lactalis, for whom « the challenge of this procedure is to allow the manifestation of scientific truth in this complex industrial file “.
Several hundred complaints
The facts date from 2017 when several dozen infants had been affected by salmonellosis, a food poisoning that ranged from mild gastroenteritis to more serious infections. They had consumed a product for children, mainly of the Milumel or Picot brand, from the Craon factory, located in Mayenne.
After the revelation of the case, the withdrawal process led by the French firm had been chaotic. And it was only after several weeks of crisis that the group, renowned for its culture of secrecy, had withdrew all of its infant formula mid-January 2018 products in the incriminated factory, the production of which had to be suspended for more than six months
Several hundred complaints had been filed and several dozen people were interviewed by investigators for this investigation.
(With AFP)