Foodborne Illnesses

Foodborne illnesses, more commonly known as "food poisoning" are often serious illnesses caused by the consumption of food which has been improperly handled, prepared or stored. While most cases result in several days of extreme illness, a staggering 325,000 people are hospitalized each year in the U.S. due to foodborne illnesses. Even more shocking is the fact that an estimated 5,000 Americans die each year from foodborne illnesses.

Foodborne illnesses are almost always a direct result of improper handling by the manufacturer, distributors, restaurants and grocery stores. Contamination can come about in handling, preparation or storage and is typically caused by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, prions or parasites. While the FDA issues hundreds of warnings each year, food manufacturers and distributors can be slow to react to reports suggesting their foods are contaminated.

The fact is manufacturers and handlers of food and food-related products have a legal responsibility to maintain a high level of product safety for their consumers. Negligent companies have been tried in court, with such notable cases as:

• $15.6 Million awarded in case against Foodmaker, Inc. parent company of Jack in the Box in E. coli case. (a total of $100 Million was designated for the outbreak)
• $12 Million awarded to the families of children who were injured after consuming Odwalla apple juice
• $4.75 Million verdict for E. coli case involving a school lunch program in Washington State

The list of foodborne illness cases that have landed in court is staggering – a list of products and restaurants that you are almost certainly well familiar with.

Symptoms of foodborne illness typically appear within hours or days after ingestion of contaminated foods. The most common symptoms of foodborne illness include:

• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Gastroenteritis
• Fever
• Headache
• Fatigue

If you or someone you care for has had a serious foodborne illness, please fill out our Case Review Contact Form to the right on this page to find out what your case is worth.

To find out more about other cases we handle, select another case type on your left.

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