GERMANY: PROSECUTORS TO INVESTIGATE GERMAN MAKERS OF BABY FOOD FORMULA AFTER TWO INFANT DEATHS IN ISRAEL.

Record ID: 648847

  • Title: GERMANY: PROSECUTORS TO INVESTIGATE GERMAN MAKERS OF BABY FOOD FORMULA AFTER TWO INFANT DEATHS IN ISRAEL.
  • Date: 13th November 2003
  • Summary: (W6) BIELEFELD, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 12, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. GV/CU: VARIOUS OF PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS OFFICE (3 SHOTS) 0.16 2. CU/TILT DOWN: HARALD KRAHMUELLER, SPOKESMAN BIELEFELD PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS OFFICE, SITTING AT DESK 0.23 3. (SOUNDBITE) (German) HARALD KRAHMUELLER, SPOKESMAN BIELEFELD PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS OFFICE, SAYING: "Our investigation is against the head of the Humana product development department on suspicion of manslaughter through culpable negligence. She is accused of miscalculating the development of a product intended to feed babies. She and other Humana employees are accused of not checking the end product before it was delivered." 0.52 4. CU: BOOK ON DESK 0.56 5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) HARALD KRAHMUELLER, SPOKESMAN BIELEFELD PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS OFFICE SAYING: "At the moment it is not clear whether the accused is responsible for the death of these children. In order to find this out we have contacted Interpol in Jerusalem via the German Federal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). We have asked the Israeli authorities to tell us who to contact since we urgently need further information from Jerusalem, or from Israel." 1.23 6. DOCUMENT ON DESK 1.27 7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) HARALD KRAHMUELLER, SPOKESMAN BIELEFELD PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS OFFICE, SAYING: "It was Humana who contacted us yesterday before they held the news conference. The companies legal advisor informed us of their findings. We were told that Humana would closely cooperate with the prosecuting attorneys office and would make available all necessary information. This is why we decided against a raid. Also, there was no time so far." 1.59 (W6) HERFORD, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 12, 2003) (REUTERS) 8. GV: EXTERIOR OF HUMANA 2.03 9. GV: CAR DRIVING OFF 2.07 10. GV/PAN: ALBERT GROSSE FRIE, HUMANA BOARD SPOKESMAN, WALKING UP STAIRS 2.14 11. (SOUNDBITE) (German) ALBERT GROSSE FRIE, HUMANA BOARD SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "Our scientific employee calculated backwards and discalculated which then led to a B-1 dosage which was not big enough. The most disastrous was our quality management system which is supposed to discover such things. In this case, it failed. We then did not discover the mistake, or we discovered it too late -- only through the reactions from Israel." 2.51 12. GV: EXTERIOR HUMANA 2.54 13. (SOUNDBITE) (German) ALBERT GROSSE FRIE, HUMANA BOARD SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "No, I have no explanation. It is human failure. I believe all employees from the scientific department know about the sensitivity surrounding baby food. This is why I do not understand what led to this negligence at our company." 3.18 14. CU: HUMANA SIGN 3.21 15. (SOUNDBITE) (German) ALBERT GROSSE FRIE, HUMANA BOARD SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "What this means to us is the question whether we carry part of the responsibility. Other questions need to be asked but for now, I need to take responsibility for our company. This means that we have made two tragic human mistakes and we will now take organisational and personnel measures so that this will never happen again." 3.47 16. GV/PAN: EXTERIOR OF HUMANA 3.56 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 28th November 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BIELEFELD & HERFORD, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVAAF4NXM3XI5RODEMSP5S0WPIRD
  • Story Text: German prosecutors have said they were
    investigating the makers of a baby food formula at the
    centre of an Israeli probe into the death of two babies.



    Prosecutors in the western city of Bielefeld said on
    Wednesday (November 12) they opened investigations after
    Humana GmbH, makers of baby formula Remedia Super Soya 1,
    admitted on Tuesday (November 11) the product was deficient
    in vitamin B-1 which is vital for maintaining infant health.

    "Our investigation is against the head of the Humana
    product development department on suspicion of manslaughter
    through culpable negligence," Harald Krahmueller, spokesman
    for the Bielefeld prosecuting attorney's office told Reuters
    Television.

    "She and other Humana employees are accused of not
    checking the end product before it was delivered",
    Krahmueller said.

    He said the German probe, which follows a separate in
    vestigation by Israeli police and at least two private
    lawsuits, was focusing on three company executives.

    The move came as the North Rhine-Westphalia state
    consumer protection ministry said it was extending testing
    on Humana products to cover the company's entire product
    range.

    A Humana spokesman confirmed that the investigations
    were taking place and said the company would cooperate
    fully. He said Humana was likely to make personnel changes
    and may need to make improvements in its quality management.

    On Tuesday, Humana, part of the Humana Milchunion,
    Germany's second largest producer of milk products, said
    the kosher Super Soya 1 product manufactured for the
    Israeli market had less than one tenth of the amount of
    vitamin B-1 advertised.

    "Our scientific employee... miscalculated which then
    led to a B-1 dosage which was not big enough", Humanas
    board spokesman Albert Grosse Frie told Reuters.

    "Most disastrous was our quality management system
    which is supposed to discover such things. In this case, it
    failed," Grosse Frie added.

    Israeli police have already launched an investigation
    into suspicions that defects in the product led to a B-1
    vitamin deficiency that created acute health problems in at
    least nine babies. Two have died.


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