In March 2022, Buitoni pizzas were recalled. If they had to be withdrawn from the market since, you can still find them on the shelves of some stores. The pizzas affected by the recall claimed dozens of lives, and two children died. This is why lawyer Richard Legrand said he was scandalized that certain lots were still in store.
Recall of Buitoni pizzas
Food recall procedures have been on the increase in recent months. Some branded foods such as fish, cheeses, sausages, or even chocolates have been withdrawn from the market due to the presence of bacteria or other substances harmful to humans. In March, pizzas from the Buitoni brand were also recalled. The reason is that they contain E. coli bacteria.
The pizzas concerned by the recall are from the Fraîch’Up range, and were sold in all E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Casino, Lidl, Match, Cora, Franprix, Francap, Système U, Intermarché and Monoprix stores before March 18 2022. Rappel Conso urged consumers not to consume the products in question even before the use-by date, as they can cause serious health problems.
According to the government site, it is recommended to bring these products back to the store or take a photo of the references marked on the packaging and send the photo by email to consumer service in order to proceed with a refund if you have any at home.
Note that E. coli are bacteria that are generally found in undercooked foods. Consuming products containing the bacteria, as indicated by the government site Rappel Conso, can lead to “gastroenteritis marked by abdominal pain and diarrhea with or without fever”.
Thus, it is recommended to be extremely careful. Especially since, according to the latest news, the Fraîch’Up pizzas that are affected by the recall are still on sale when they should no longer be.
Contaminated products still on sale
As RMC reported, the recalled Fraich’Up range is still being sold in some stores in France. The products were notably spotted in a Franprix store and a Casino group store. Normally the pizzas affected by the recall should have been withdrawn from the market 3 months ago. And yet, they are still present on the shelves of some stores. Asked why we still find Fraich’Up brand pizzas on his shelves, the manager of a Casino store explained:
“Normally, it is prohibited for sale. I don’t have enough room downstairs, that’s why I left it there. But I have disabled the barcode and will be removing the rest of the shelves right away”
Last week I saw at the supermarket that the Fraich Up pizzas #Buitoni are still present on the shelves… what are they waiting for to fire them? https://t.co/8DDQ8n0vHh
— Ⓜ️madof83Ⓜ️ (@madof83) May 12, 2022
Words that scandalized Richard Legrand, the lawyer for several families of victims who consumed the contaminated products. Shocked by the attitude of some managers, he finds it unacceptable that the products are still on the market when three months have passed since the products were recalled.
Moreover, if the products were to make new victims, it would no longer be the responsibility of Buitoni (the manufacturer) but of Franprix (the distributor). However, as Richard Legrand explained, the manufacturer was also supposed to carry out a verification after the recall, but did not do so.
Note that the penalty for non-compliance with a withdrawal-recall procedure is five years’ imprisonment. Added to this is a fine of up to 10% of turnover.
Batches of sausages are affected by a recall
Recently, Rappel Conso informed consumers that four batches of sausages are affected by a recall. These are dry sausages with hazelnuts from the Galibier brand. According to information shared by the government site, these sausages would contain pieces of glass, and would have been marketed in several stores System U, Auchan, Casino, Intermarché, etc. It is recommended not to consume it to avoid the risk of injury.
Here are the four batches of sausages affected by the recall:
- 3,375,220,021,218 (GTIN), 21,034,044 (lot)
- 3,375,220,021,218 (GTIN), 21,094,060 (lot)
- 3,375,220,021,218 (GTIN), 21,094,059 (lot)
- 3,375,220,021,218 (GTIN), 21,052,040 (lot)
#ReminderConso warns consumers who could injure themselves by eating this dry sausage#productrecall https://t.co/BTzuk3BziT
— aufeminine (@aufeminine) June 14, 2022
