Did You Suffer from Food Poisoning Recently? You May Have Legal Options

Have you eaten something that caused you to get sick? You’re not alone. Food-borne illnesses are much more common than many think. All you need to do is type food recall in your search engine, and you’ll get daily results on the latest product recalls due to a foodborne illness. In 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture recorded 150 food recalls that involved more than 21 million pounds of food.

Unfortunately, over 351,000 people around the world die each year due to the foodborne illness. Millions more will become very sick and may require hospitalization. In 2010, there were 582 million cases of food-borne illnesses experienced. The most common foodborne illnesses include salmonella, E.coli, and norovirus.  This is a very serious problem, and it may be in part due to the number of parties who handle your food from production to plate.

Just think about the number of potential stops your food could make before it reaches its final destination on your plate. From the farm itself where the produce is picked, to the food processing facility where it is stored, to the grocery store where you purchase it, there are many parties handling your food. As our food systems become more complex, there are more risk factors.

In the United States, legislators have made it a priority to take preventative steps to avoid quality control issues that could potentially cause an outbreak. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most ambitious legislation to come from those efforts, which completely changes some of the ways facilities are audited and quality control is managed. However, food poisoning is still very possible.

What Should You Do If You Suffer from Food Poisoning?

Similar to a personal injury claim, you may be able to take legal action against the manufacturer, preparer, or seller of unwholesome food if you can prove that your consumption of its food was the proximate cause of your illness. The law experts at HYBERG, WHITE & MANN recommend that you do the following to improve your chances of substantiating your case:

• Established relationship in time and documentation of symptoms following consumption of unwholesome food;
• Create an accurate history of other food consumed in the pertinent time frame;
• Retain documentation outlining the length of symptoms, treatment, and ongoing problems.

If you begin to suffer the ill-effects of contaminated food, evidence is the key to your claims ultimate success. Document as much as you can, seek medical attention, and speak with the Atlantic County lawyers at HYBERG, WHITE & MANN as soon as possible, so you can discuss your legal options.