How a Concrete Nail Got into a Cookie(part III)

The saleswoman named two people. I went to the hospital where I hoped to find information about the warehouse or wholesale shop with those names. I approached a large gate as the saleswoman had explained to me. There was a sign that read: “Tbilisi Children’s Clinics”. After entering the clinic, I soon found the “Wholesale Market” where many warehouses were visible. I found the warehouse at last.

I found two small rooms (if they can be said rooms) in the basement. Many people were standing there and buying various food products. Boxes of cookies and other products were scattered all over the dirty floor. It looked very unsanitary and rubbish was everywhere.
I asked a young boy who worked there if I could have a look at the cookies.
I looked around and noticed the cookies I was looking for so desperately.
-Where are the cookies from?
- They from Georgia.
-Which firm produces them?
-I do not know. They are individual entrepreneurs.
-Could you tell me who exactly they are?
-I do not know. Their name is not written on the box.
-Who is in charge of this warehouse? Is there someone who can answer these questions? Who is baking these cookies and where are they coming from?
-I don’t know who they are and where they are coming from.
-Where are you getting them from?
-The producer is delivering the cookies. Wait a moment…

He went out and called somebody. I was instructed to wait for him.

-Who will come and how long will I have to wait for him?
-In ten minutes he will come.

I began to take photos for further documentation. People, who passed by with suspicious looks on their faces, were buying and selling their products. Dust was everywhere. “What a mess…what kind of people could buy food from here,” I said to myself. Twenty minutes had passed and others began to take notice of my thoughts that seemed to uncontrollably come out of my mouth.

-Can you call him once more? When will he come? How long do I have to wait for him? At least tell me who the distributor is?” I was bombarding him with questions that he seemed unable to reply to. 

Everyone started becoming nervous of my presence and they began staring at me.

-What is the name of this place?
-It is a Railway Hospital. The address is Tevdorashvili street #11-one of the employees answered.

Forty minutes had passed.

-You should find out, where he is and when is he coming? If you decide not to, you might want to look at the law and understand that under the law you obligated to provide complete information to the customer about the products that are being sold.
I began threatening him with the law as if I was a police officer.
– Calm down, he’ll be here in ten minutes.

Thirty minutes have passed and he has not arrived. I have no patience whatsoever. I was suffocating in the cesspool and went outside to get some fresh air. I noticed a sign above the basement that read “Laboratory”, another sign next to it reads “Medical Firm-Sibiel”, and the third one read, “Clinical Diagnosis Laboratory”. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

No one had come yet. I went back to the warehouse to leave my mobile number with the young man. I observed the hospital building from the front and found a sign reading: ‘E.Fifia Clinical Diagnosis Laboratory’. In the second entrance there are offices of Dermatologist, Skin Doctor, and Cosmetologist. You can find everything in this one building. There is one more tablet that reads-Physiotherapy Department, dentist’s clinic, x-ray cabinet, dispensary for skin and vein diseases.     

I walked along the hospital and thinking, how the Ministry of Healthcare or other responsible bodies cannot have information about the situation. Five minutes have passed and then I received a call from the man I was waiting for. I went down back to the cellar with him and explained to him what had happened. I showed him the cookie with the nail in it and ask him to tell me who the distributor is.
-It is a Georgian production, but I do not know exactly who they are. A man came to me and asked to put his cookies in my warehouse and see whether they would sell or not. I do not know who he is.
-Have you heard anything about the corresponding laws? You are responsible for the product you are selling here.
-I know I am.
- What would you have done if your child had found a nail in the cookies?
- Nothing at all. However, I absolutely agree with you and I do not know who he is.
-These cookies could have been poisoned.
-I know I am responsible for their quality under the law. But please listen to me. He brought the cookies and left them here to see how well they would be received.
- It’s Ok. But you should not accept and sell everything that people bring here.
-You’re absolutely correct.
-All right. You know my phone number. You should decide yourself-whether you will tell me the name of the distributor or not. Good bye.

Within five minutes he called me back and we met in front of the hospital. 
-Do you know how the situation is, my son is working here. I believe you. But tell me please what will happen if I do not tell you who the producer is? 
-If you do not provide me with the information, you will be charged for the incident.
-Ok. How can we settle this one out?
-You should tell me who has produced these cookies. At least, they should apologize to the victim who was about to ingest nails and possibly other construction materials.
-You are right and I understand them very well. These cookies were delivered to our warehouse for the first time yesterday. I am really worried. My son is working there and I really do not want him to have any problems there in future. Yes, you are right and I cannot say anything more. Just tell me, who has eaten the cookie and whether somebody was hurt with the nail. We are ready to take care of him/her and improve our mistake.”

I parted with him. Later, someone called me on the phone. He said he was Iura and was the person who was producing the cookies I was interested in. More precisely, he asked me to show him the cookie with the nail in it. I arranged to meet on Monday February 5. I asked him to bring along one kilo of cookies with him. When we meet up, I showed them the cookie with the nail in it. They were finally convinced that the story was real. Iura was confused saying controversial things during the conversation with me.

“I am not producing this product anymore. I have brought here what I am producing now (he showed me the quite different cookies to me). The name of my firm is Roskan. We have closed down. We have submitted the announcement about our closure to the corresponding bodies. The accountant has submitted the document. I have not been here for a week. I called the employees of the bakery and ordered them to stop the production. We have not delivered these cookies to the shops for a week already.’

To be continued

Eka Gulua