Posted on April 24, 2016 in Hepatitis

A victim can fall ill from eating nearly any type of food. Generally, meats and dairy products are the culprit, especially when they have not been stored or prepared correctly. But vegetables, fruits, and grains can also harbor dangerous bacteria that can cause victims to suffer from various types of food poisoning.

One example is the recent outbreak of Hepatitis A in Canada. At least 13 people have developed Hepatitis A after consuming frozen bags of Nature's Touch Organic Berry Cherry blend from Costco stores. In response, Costco recalled the product from its stores in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. Five had to be hospitalized because of the illness.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A

Unlike other types of food poisoning, which can begin to show symptoms hours or days after the victim consumed the contaminated food, symptoms of Hepatitis A often do not appear until two weeks after the victim has come into contact with the pathogen. This can make it very difficult for a victim to accurately determine where he or she contracted the illness, which can mean that many more people were actually affected by the contaminated berries than the number who reported that they had fallen ill.

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 Posted on April 18, 2016 in Food Poisoning

We could be on the brink of a world where the number of food poisoning cases reported is dramatically decreased, if a new test being developed in South Korea reaches the point of being commercially available. The test, a paper strip that is exposed to food and then dipped in a chemical solution that produces visible results, is simple enough that supermarket and restaurant employees can perform it without any specialized training. This can potentially be a huge breakthrough in food safety and keeping consumers safe.

Currently, detecting dangerous pathogens in food samples requires substantial training for workers and the use of complex laboratory machinery. It is often too much work for a food distributor or retailer to feasibly perform, so instead, food suppliers rely on safe preparation and storage methods to prevent the development and spread of dangerous bacteria in their products.

Benefits and Drawbacks of a New Paper Test

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 Posted on April 14, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Even if you take all the necessary precautions in your own kitchen, you cannot eliminate your risk of contracting food poisoning from contaminated food in other people's homes and at restaurants and other food vendors. It is unrealistic to think that you could completely eliminate this risk by only consuming food you prepared yourself for the rest of your life and even if you were to take this route, it is possible to become ill because of bacteria that contaminated the food you purchase at the farm where it was grown, the distribution center where it was packed, at the store where it was sold, or at another point in the supply chain.

So what can you do if you find yourself suffering from the symptoms of salmonellosis, listeriosis, or another type of foodborne illness? In most healthy individuals, food poisoning resolves itself within a few days and does not require medical attention. Suffering from food poisoning can be painful and inconvenient, but unless you are pregnant, elderly, have a compromised immune system, or you are the parent of a young child who is suffering from food poisoning, you most likely do not need to contact your doctor unless your symptoms are failing to subside.

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 Posted on March 24, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Fast-casual, Mexican-themed eatery Chipotle has had quite a year in terms of negative publicity. After being linked to multiple food poisoning outbreaks in 2015 and 2016, the company has been making publicized changes to how it handles and stores its food in an effort to win customers back. It has also had numerous promotions, giving away free burritos and guacamole, in an effort to alter its image in the eyes of its fans.

How can a company really prove that it has taken steps to avoid another food poisoning outbreak? Consumers can be difficult to persuade, and scandals can stay with a company for years. For example, many still remember the 1993 E.coli outbreak that was linked to Jack in the Box hamburger patties and associate the restaurant's name with food poisoning. To rebuild its image, Chipotle and any company in a similar position needs to work hard to prove that it puts its consumers' safety first.

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 Posted on March 19, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Spring is right around the corner and for many families in the United States, this means it is time to celebrate Easter. An Easter celebration would not be complete without dyed Easter eggs. Easter eggs are nearly always hard boiled, but do not think that this means they cannot carry harmful bacteria. When eggs are not cooked to a safe temperature or they are stored improperly, Salmonella can develop within them and put those who consume the eggs at risk of becoming ill.

Salmonella is a type of food poisoning that can become serious in individuals with weak immune systems, such as young children, pregnant women, and the elderly. For others, Salmonella usually resolves itself within a few days. When Salmonella symptoms appear in an at-risk individual or fail to subside in an individual with a strong immune system, it is important for that individual to receive medical attention as soon as possible. Untreated salmonella can lead to complications like dehydration, bacteremia, and reactive arthritis.

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 Posted on March 09, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

By the time the source of a food poisoning outbreak is determined, acknowledged, and publicized, usually hundreds or even thousands of victims or more have been exposed to the dangerous bacteria. This is especially true if the outbreak is linked to a popular or widely-distributed food product. This is currently happening with the Listeria outbreak linked to Dole prepackaged salads, which has affected 18 people in nine states: Indiana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. The first reports of illness linked to the salads were made in the summer of 2015, with more coming in during the following months, right up to January 2016.

All 18 of the victims affected by this outbreak, one of whom was a pregnant woman, were hospitalized. The victims ranged in age from three to 83 years old. In Canada, 11 people were affected by the outbreak, three of whom died of complications related to the infection.

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 Posted on March 04, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

In an earlier blog post, we discussed the Salmonella virchow outbreak linked to Garden of Life meal replacement shakes. Since the time of that blog post, the number of people affected by the outbreak has risen to 18 and spread across 15 states.

Dangerous strains of bacteria that cause food poisoning are not always easy to contain. Sometimes, it is because it is difficult to find the source of the bacteria and other times it is because more foods or products were affected by the bacteria than initially thought. In this case, Garden of Life had to expand its product recall to include more products after people continued to fall ill after its initial recall. The first recall was made in January 2016, followed by an expanded recall in mid-February. The first case of Salmonella linked to Garden of Life's products was reported in Otero County, New Mexico. Since then, reports of illnesses linked to the shake powder have come in from Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

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 Posted on February 24, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

Many Americans are under the impression that they are less likely to suffer from food poisoning when eating at well-known chain establishments than they are at smaller, independent food retailers because of the additional safety and quality measures with which corporate restaurants are required to comply. However, corporate oversight does not necessarily mean that the food from a particular retailer is safe from carrying dangerous bacteria. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, numerous fast food restaurants have been linked to food poisoning outbreaks.

Below are 11 examples of well-known food poisoning outbreaks that have occurred in the past decades.

• In 1982, 47 people who ate at Oregon and Michigan McDonald's stores fell ill with a rare form of E.coli poisoning;
• E.coli was also named as the cause of death for four children and the cause of illness for 732 people who ate the undercooked Monster Burger offered by Jack in the Box in 1993;

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 Posted on February 20, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

Recently, our firm was featured in the Chicago Tribune because of a claim we filed on behalf of a client who allegedly became ill with Salmonella poisoning after eating at a funeral luncheon catered by Family Affair Catering.

Food poisoning can become serious, especially in individuals with weak immune systems. When food poisoning happens because of a responsible party's failure to take the correct precautions to ensure that it is providing consumers with a contaminant-free product, the food poisoning victim may seek compensation for his or her losses through a personal injury claim.

Personal Injury Claims Need Evidence

You cannot simply file a food poisoning claim and hope to recover compensation if you feel a bit queasy after eating at a local restaurant. Food poisoning claims, like all other types of personal injury claim, require that the following be proven:

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 Posted on February 17, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

We all know that certain types of foods are more likely to carry dangerous bacteria than others. This is why we take certain food preparation and storage rules so seriously, such as cooking chicken until it is well done and washing leafy vegetables like spinach and kale thoroughly before using them. A recent piece published on you.co.az contained an interview with food safety advocate Bill Marler, who listed the foods he refuses to eat because of the risk of food poisoning they pose. His list of foods to avoid included the following:

Raw Meat

A rare, juicy steak can be delicious, but it can also be dangerous. Marler said that he does not eat steak that has not been cooked to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit because below this temperature, steak can contain dangerous bacteria like E.coli.

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