Management acknowledged that it is "still premature" to draw conclusions. The pastry shop "La Ideal", located meters from Plaza Rocha, issued a statement denying the accusations. "In light of the widely known facts of a salmonella case and the misinformation circulating in the media and social networks, we want to bring peace of mind to our customers and clarify the situation," the employees stated. In this regard, they claim that there was an official inspection by the Bromatology department, whose authorities "verified that our equipment has all health permits up to date and that we strictly comply with hygiene and food handling protocols". "The result of the inspection was conclusive: everything is in perfect order and the origin of this problem did not come from our facilities." The Justice of La Plata is investigating the death of a 76-year-old retiree who reportedly fell ill with salmonellosis, and a pastry shop was shut down. Sources close to the investigation informed the Argentine News Agency that the patient was admitted to the San Martín hospital "hemodynamically unstable," "with livid spots on his body," "neurological damage," and "low blood pressure." The man died during the early hours of Thursday, March 19, and the Infectology service of that center confirmed the presence of salmonella, a bacterium that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and fever from consuming contaminated water or food. In this context, prosecutor Fernando Padován, head of UFI No. 12, initiated ex officio proceedings, with the collaboration of officers from the La Plata DDI and the Homicides Cabinet, "to preserve evidence" and took testimonies "for suspicion of criminality." "Diligences and different measures were ordered to safeguard public health," the spokespeople for the case stated in response to NA's inquiry. Meanwhile, a woman, a relative of the deceased, also contracted the disease and was discharged from the Ipensa Clinic. The case is preliminarily filed as "investigation of the causes of death" although it could be modified as the investigation progresses. "We deny any news that links us to this case," the establishment emphasized.
