investigations entrusted to an investigating judge

Judicial information was opened on Thursday, May 12, after children were poisoned by eating Buitoni brand pizzas, the Paris prosecutor’s office told franceinfo, confirming information from RMC. The investigations are therefore now entrusted to an investigating judge.

This judicial investigation is open “counts of involuntary homicide with regard to a person, involuntary injuries with regard to 14 people, deception on a product entailing a danger for the health of man or animal, exposure or sale of a food product that is falsified or corrupted and harmful to health, placing on the market of a product dangerous to health and endangering others”.

“It’s a real step forward, we were surprised that there was still nothing since the start of the investigation”, confides to franceinfo, David Bielher, father of two boys contaminated with the E.Coli bacterium, after eating Buitoni pizzas. His 7-year-old was hospitalized for six days, his blood tests are still bad today. “We know that we are facing a giant in the food industry, admits David Bielher, all the families are aware that we left for a file that will last several years, but, for our children, we are not going to let go”. “Our children, too, have health monitoring that will last several years, he recalls. We are not immune to after-effects. Just for these reasons, it is out of the question that we drop the case”insists the father of the family.

Several families filed a complaint and formed a collective. They were in contact with the ARS and the General Directorate of Health, for the purposes of the health investigation. “But there has been no contact with other authorities or with the Ministry of Health”says David Biehler.

“Apart from Buitoni’s responsibility, there are also questions about state health controls. Were there any flaws on that side as well?”

David Biehler, plaintiff

at franceinfo

Only the brand’s Fraich’up range is concerned at this stage, specifies the prosecution. There were a total of 75 cases of E. Coli poisoning, the vast majority of children, two of whom died.