By Mauro Orru


French prosecutors filed charges against Nestle over an outbreak of food-borne disease linked to some pizza production activities, a setback for the Swiss giant as it faces heightened scrutiny over food safety practices.

The charges stem from the discovery of Escherichia coli bacteria in some batches of Buitoni Fraich'Up raw dough pizza that in 2022 caused an outbreak of food-borne disease that affected dozens of people in France.

A company spokesman said Friday that prosecutors had filed charges against Nestle France and Societe des Produits Alimentaires de Caudry, the subsidiary overseeing the plant where the contaminated pizzas were made. Nestle halted production of the affected product in March 2022.

The charges are preliminary, meaning that an investigation is still underway and no judgment has been rendered.

"Nestle France intends to fully assume its responsibilities in this case," the company said. "We hope that these legal proceedings will help to fully clarify the circumstances of this dramatic event and bring some healing for the victims and their families."

The outbreak affected dozens in 2022. A year later, Nestle reached an agreement to compensate 63 victims and their families.


Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

07-05-24 0538ET