BUITONI PIZZAS. Fraich’Up pizzas were contaminated with E.coli bacteria, which led to 56 serious poisonings in France. The pizzas of the Bella Napoli and Four à Pierre de Buitoni range are also in the sights but not withdrawn from the market. List of contaminated pizzas, info, reimbursement.
[Mise à jour le 10 mai 2022 à 17h02] Buitoni (Nestlé group) carried out the reminder of its Fresh’Up pizzas from March 18 after the occurrence of food poisoning in children and an adult. In the most severe forms, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) has manifested. Of them deaths have been confirmed. As of May 4, Public Health France lists 56 cases of HUS linked to the consumption of pizzas. In question, the presence of the bacterium Escherichia Coli or E.coli. In addition to the Fraich’Up range, BFM TV reported in early May the filing of a complaint against Buitoni by a 34 year old woman hospitalized at the end of March for severe food poisoning whose symptoms started after she ate a Bella Napoli frozen pizza. “The doctor came to my room and asked me if I had eaten a pizza in the last few days, showing me all the pizzas from Buitoni”, she explains. Reports have been made to the ARS and to supermarkets but “these pizzas are still for sale”, denounces the husband of the young woman. That same day, France Info reveals that a 7-year-old girl was hospitalized after eating a Buitoni pizza from the Stone oven range. A complaint will also be filed for “endangering the lives of others”, “involuntary injuries” and “deception”. Factory Buitoni’s Caudry (North) where the pizzas were produced has been closed since the beginning of April. What is the listing pizza concerned? What to do if we have any at home? Can we expect a refund ? What is the E.coli bacteria?
Which Buitoni pizzas should not be eaten?
The young woman contaminated on March 27 and hospitalized for poisoning with the E.Coli bacteria had eaten a pizza from the Bella Napoli range. For now, there is no recall of these pizzas but here is an example:
The girl hospitalized according to France Info would have consumed a Buitoni pizza from the Stone oven range. No general recall is currently in effect. Here is an example of a pizza from this range:
The company Buitoni recalled on March 18, 2022 all the pizzas in the Fraîch’Up range, for example:
- Fresh’Up 4 cheeses
- Fresh’Up Royale
- Fresh’Up Chicken
- Fresh’Up Bolognese
- Fraîch’Up White Queen
- Fraîch’Up 3 meats
How many people have been contaminated by Buitoni pizzas?
In its update of May 4, Public Health France confirms 56 cases of HUS. These 56 cases occurred in 55 children and 1 adult, who presented symptoms between January 18 and April 5. the epidemic peak is in week 7 (14/02 to 20/02) and in week 9 (28/02 to 06/03), with 10 cases each of these weeks. These 56 cases occurred in 12 regions of France Metropolitan: Hauts-de-France (12 cases), Ile-de-France (9 cases), New Aquitaine (8 cases), Pays de la Loire (7 cases), Brittany (6 cases), Grand Est (3 cases) , Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (3 cases), Occitanie (2 cases), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (2 cases), Center Val-de-Loire (2 cases), Bourgogne Franche-Comté (1 case) and Normandy (1 case). The 55 sick children are aged between 1 and 17 with a median age of 6 years. Two children died. The adult did not present with HUS.
How many people have died after eating Buitoni pizzas?
According to Public Health France, two children died haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) after consuming the affected pizzas. It’s about a infectious complication most often of food origin rare in France but severe. We talk about a syndromeHemolytic” because it means that there is “a destruction of red blood cells” (responsible for anemia and a drop in platelets) and “uremic“because there isblood urea. Urea is a waste product from the body eliminated by the kidneys in the urine. Increased blood urea and other waste products such as creatinine indicate kidney failure.
When did the Buitoni scandal start?
In January 2022, several cases of pediatric haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and serious Escherichia coli infection have been reported to the French health authorities.
► February 24, the Ministry of Health reports 13 cases of HUS in childrenrelated to Escherichia coli bacteria with similar characteristics. the first death is announced. The marque Buitoni is not yet cited. Several sources of contamination are being investigated, including the ingestion of contaminated food eaten raw or undercooked.
► March 11, the ministry confirmed 26 cases of HUS having the same characteristics as those of February. A second child death is confirmed. No source of contamination has yet been incriminated.
► March 1727 cases of HUS are confirmed.
► March 18, Buitoni recalls all its Fraîch’Up frozen pizzas “after being informed of the presence of E-coli bacteria in the dough of a frozen pizza” of this range.
► March 22 and 29: two hygiene inspections take place in the Caudry factory where the contaminated pizzas are produced by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) in the North and the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF),
“When you see mushrooms on the wall, you know it’s not okay”
► March 30, Public Health France “confirm a link between several cases and the consumption of frozen pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range of the Buitoni brand contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli bacteria”. 41 cases of HUS are identified.
► March 31, RMC unveils shocking images of the Buitoni factory of Caudry. It was a former factory employee who sent these images showing deplorable hygienic conditions: “When you see fungus on the wall, you know it’s wrong. The paint on the metal bars was peeling off. There were scraps of food that remained in certain places for several days, Several weeks. In sauce recovery bins, you could find cigarette butts. Where the flour is sent to the mats, so that the dough does not stick, there were mealworms.” he told our colleagues. Buitoni (Nestlé group) admitted that these photos were indeed taken in the factory but that it is not “never so dirty” usually. Nestlé has confirmed that the tests it carries out itself in its Caudry factory are negative.
Discover the images of the Buitoni factory in Caudry (Nord) where the pizzas of the Fraich’Up range are produced, accused by the health authorities of being the cause of the E.Coli bacteria poisoning of dozens of people. children and the death of two of them. pic.twitter.com/1pplkImmFP
— RMC (@RMCinfo) March 31, 2022
► April 6, the Nord prefecture publishes a decree prohibiting the production of pizzas in the Caudry factory. Public Health France confirms 50 cases of HUS.
► April 8, opening of an investigation for “manslaughter”, “deception” and “endangering others” against Buitoni.
► April 13: search of the Buitoni factory in Caudry and at Nestlé headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineauxin the Hauts-de-Seine.
► May 5: BFM-TV reports the case of a woman hospitalized after eating a Bella Napoli pizza produced by Buitoni. She was the victim of food poisoning linked to the presence of the E.coli bacteria like the previous victims.
What bacteria is found in Buitoni pizzas?
It is Escherichia Coli or “E.coli”, a bacteria found in the gut of humans and some animals especially ruminants. When they are in the intestine, the majority of its strains are harmless and cause no symptoms. Some, however, are pathogens. Eliminated through the feces of animals, they can contaminate the environment (water, manure, soil) and foods. They tolerate the cold well (survival of several days in a refrigerator) but normally not cooking. The bacteria can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (SHU), a infectious complication most often of food origin rare in France but severe.
Investigation of grouped cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections linked to the consumption of Buitoni® brand Fraîch’Up pizzas – Santé Publique France – April 25, 2022 .
Serious cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in children: new cases reported, health authorities remind you of what to do. March 30, 2022. Public Health France.
Ministry of Health press releases.