After the tragedy that occurred in the establishment of accommodation for dependent elderly people (Ehpad) of "La Chêneraie" on the evening of 31 march, where five residents have died as a result of a probable food poisoning, all eyes turn to the group Korian, the owner of the private residence. In the turmoil, the european specialist in the dependency management, which avails itself of "cooking on site", is seen on Monday, its share drop to 6%.

● The group Korian, europe's number-one retirement homes

With a network of 803 schools representing 78.000 beds, the group Korian is the european leader in retirement homes. Present in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain as well as in france, the multinational company has a portfolio consisting of attending nursing homes, clinics and residential services. The group also offers care services and hospital at home.

in Order to support its ambitions internationally, Korian has recently acquired Senior groups, based in Spain, and Schauinsland in Germany. On the 18th of February last, he has also taken over the Omega, the owner of a dozen homes long-term care facilities in france whose long-term care-The Chêneraie, the death. Located in Lherm in Huate Garonne, the private establishment of the Chêneraie, which opened its doors in 2006, housed eighty-two residents, including a fifteen-received at the unit protected (Alzheimer Disease and related), according to the regional Agency of health. Always recorded on the website of Omega, the Chêneraie is presented as providing "hotel services high-end".

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claiming to be "expert in services of care and support to seniors", the group Korian supports in its institutions 300.000 patients and residents and employs a total of more than 50,000 employees. Last year, the operator of retirement homes has achieved a turnover 3.34 billion euros, according to the latest accounts published in march. The group, which has "accelerate its european development" this year, aims to manage about 3,500 additional beds by the end of the year.

● Korian avails itself of the "cook on site"

The company avails itself of the "cook on site" rather than outsourcing the catering within its facilities. "The meals are produced on-the-spot" by the establishment "with its own teams of kitchen," says the group. The goal: to propose a local cuisine, and to reduce the risks related to the operations of cooling and release temperature. "Everything is prepared in our home, with ingredients not processed, purchased 70% in France... We organize competitions of chefs and the group Gault and Millau has awarded ten tables," it said in September 2018, the director-general of Korian, Sophie Boissard, to the AFP. In order to facilitate the recruitment of chefs and cooks, Korian has even announced at the beginning of march to be allied with the groups Accor, Adecco, and Sodexo to launch a project of training centre for apprentices (CFA) in the area of the kitchen and restaurant, which should open its doors as early as next year.

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While the exact causes of the tragedy of the nursing home "La Chêneraie" are still unknown, the provenance of the meal to the origin of the potential food poisoning is yet to be determined. Several relatives of residents of the private institution indicated earlier in the day, having taken knowledge that the management of the nursing home was recently charged by an outside vendor to cook the meal. According to France Bleu Occitania, the son of one of the victims who wish to make a complaint, Alain Lapeyre, said the doctor of the nursing home "La Chêneraie" he would have confessed that the meal served that Sunday was delivered a week earlier. The information was confirmed by another close to the boarder.

on Sunday evening at 23: 30, the kitchen of the nursing home have been placed under seal. "The meals-witnesses were put under sequestration, and preserved pending the intervention of the Direction départementale de la protection des populations," said the ARS.

● health standards are strict obligations for food

Directed by an office of external study, the last regulatory control of hygiene periodic intervened in the long-term care facilities in Haute-Garonne date of 12 February last. According to the group Korian, "the results of this monitoring were compliant". While health controls in the long-term care Facility are carried out each year by the State, the private institutions may also decide to appoint an external agency to increase the frequency of inspections.

Subject to many of the european standards and French, catering services in long-term care facilities are subject to regulation and strict controls on food safety. They must meet the HACCP standard (hazard analysis and critical control points), which oversees the development, distribution, as well as the packaging of the food, with several instructions concerning temperatures and labelling to comply with. Each year, the employees working in the kitchens of long-term care facilities must follow a new upgrade training in order to have perfect control of this HACCP approach.

● the image of The group Korian already tarnished by the past

last year, , a report in support of the Special Envoy on France 2 had greatly undermined the image of the group Korian, as well as that of the number two in the sector, the group Opéa. Using testimonies from relatives of residents and staff members of the institutions, the broadcast accused the two groups engage in a "race for profit endangering the lives of residents", pointing a finger in particular, many budgetary constraints, and the optimization of the cost of the meal. The general management of institutions, cited in the survey, required in addition to a daily budget of 4.22 euros per resident for food. In addition, the general Inspectorate of social affairs (IGAS) had already brought about some suspicion on the group Korian, following a deadly outbreak of influenza occurred in a long-term care-Lyon at the end of the year 2016.

The parquet floor of Toulouse was seized and investigations are ongoing to determine the origin of the food poisoning suspected, according to the prefecture. The operator of retirement homes said Monday in a press release to be pleinement mobilized and ready to work in close collaboration with the regional Agency of health, the Prefecture, as well as the services of the Attorney, and the county Council "in the framework of the investigation opened to determine the cause of this poisoning is supposed to be". Thirteen residents are also always in the hospital for observation, and three were able to return to the retirement home.