Despite the return in force of Lactalis batches after contamination with salmonella, other signs (after Leclerc and Auchan) recognize “flaws”.
After Leclerc , three other major groups distributions announced Wednesday it has sold tens or even hundreds of boxes Lactalis infant milk that should have been removed from their shelves after salmonella contamination.
For its part, Fraud Control reported that it was now carry out checks throughout France to ensure that the products had been removed from the shelves and inventories throughout the distribution chain, from the stores to hospitals through pharmacies.
Leclerc was the first to announce Tuesday that despite the recall of products launched in December after the discovery of contamination of baby milk with salmonella in one of its plants, 984 Lactalis products escaped the procedure and have been sold many of its stores.
Crossroads, Auchan, Système U …
On Wednesday, several major retailers announced each in turn selling products from recalled lots: 434 bottles of infant milk and cereal preparations for Carrefour , 384 boxes of milk for Système U and 52 at Auchan .
All of them have been presenting apologies to customers.
“I can only observe and confirm the existence of failures in the operations launched by some stores of our brand,” wrote on his blog Tuesday night the owner of the sign, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, recognizing a “bug unacceptable. ”
“It turns out that 384 boxes of milk escaped the recall procedure implemented from December 21st, and were sold in the following days”, said U system, which “instantly proceeded to the call the identified customers. “
Intermarché has red ball on Lactalis
Some groups have announced a strengthening of security measures to prevent these flaws that raise questions about the effectiveness of the recall measures.
“It will determine responsibility and it will be done with the greatest – I hope – speed and severity if responsibilities are proven,” said RTL Benjamin GRIVEAUX, spokesman of the government.
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) is the authority that oversees the recall and withdrawal of products.
To date, “we conducted more than 2,000 inspections”, said Virginia Beaumeunier, executive director of the DGCCRF, Wednesday in a statement to the press, stressing that “everyone is responsible for its level” of implementation of this withdrawal, and not to perform constituted a “criminal offense”.
After the missed lots of contaminated baby milk by Leclerc, other distributors, such as Système U, have decided to strengthen their controls and even stop “definitely” to market infant formula produced by Lactalis.
This is the case of Intermarché, whose president Thierry Cotillard blasted on Lactalis, denouncing to AFP a “chaotic management of the crisis.” At this stage, two products have been raised in the network, which conducts audits to determine if other products have fallen through the cracks.
Stockpile Destruction
Carrefour, who said he “was very vigilant on this issue,” the withdrawal of products, has decided parallel “implementation of a strengthened control plan to ensure the destruction of stocks of the products concerned in our stores” said a spokesman told AFP.
To explain the dysfunction, Leclerc mentions “at this stage” the difficulties related to the succession of recalls and a promotional operation, decided three months before and that “stocks have arrived in stores with a different label.”
On the 21st December, Lactalis initiated a recall of all its baby milk formula and other infant products produced at its plant in Craon since February 2017 after the discovery of contamination with salmonella.
35 infected infants
January 9, Public Health France has confirmed that 35 infants with salmonellosis and who consumed milk or infant feeding product of the plant Craon, in the three days before the start of their symptoms.
18 infants were hospitalised for their salmonellosis, but all were released from the hospital, the source said
