ROME, March 2 – An Italian magistrate sentenced food giant Nestle and Tetra Pak packaging company to pay damages to a family after their daughters drank contaminated baby milk, ANSA news agency reported Sunday.
The judge in the Sicilian town of Giarre, near the east coast city of Catania, ruled that Nestle Italia and Tetra Pak International were responsible for the "psychological prejudice" suffered by the parents after it became known that milk given to their daughters was contaminated by a chemical from the carton.
The amount of the compensation was not given.
Quoting consumers\’ group Codacons, ANSA said the ruling was the first in Italy three years after Nestle withdrew the controversial baby milk over a chemical used for printing the cartons.
The Swiss-based food giant withdrew the baby milk from sale in France, Spain and Portugal, as well as Italy in November 2005, following fears about the chemical contamination.
Italian authorities earlier confirmed ordering the recall of 30 million litres of the liquid baby milk, ruling the product unfit for human consumption, saying they had already raised concerns the month before.
Italian regional health authorities had found traces of IsopropilThioXantone (ITX) in some cartons of its "Nidina" and "Latte Mio" brands, Nestle Italy said while seizures were going ahead in the country.
Italian authorities said at the time the packaging was supplied by Tetra Pak in the Netherlands.
