Posted on August 26, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

As the new school year approaches, parents have a ton of decisions to make. One of these is what your child will eat during school hours. Some parents give their children money to buy lunch and snacks from the school cafeteria, while others pack lunches for their children to bring.

There are pros and cons to each approach. Although a home-packed lunch is often healthier than cafeteria fare, making and packaging lunches can be time-consuming. Parents also often have concerns about the safety of their children's food, whether the food comes from home or from the cafeteria. For example, cafeteria food is prepared on site and served while it is still hot, but there is no way to know how the food was handled or stored before it was prepared. Lunch from home, on the other hand, might sit in a brown bag or lunchbox for hours before lunch, allowing the food to enter the danger zone. There is no perfect school lunch solution, but there are steps a parent can take to lower a child's chance of succumbing to food poisoning at school this year.

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 Posted on August 17, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Gel Spice Inc., a New Jersey-based spice producer that manufactures multiple brands of turmeric, has recalled its product after lead was found in multiple brands' packaged ground turmeric. Initially, a routine sampling of the turmeric by the New York State Department of Agriculture determined that one lot of Fresh Finds brand turmeric powder contained an unsafe level of lead. Further testing found high lead levels in multiple brands from Gel Spice Inc. These brands include Gel, Market Pantry, Lieber's, Clear Value, Spice Supreme, and Spice Select.

These brands are distributed at food retailers throughout the nation. Although no illnesses have been reported in conjunction with the tainted turmeric, individuals who have turmeric from any of the lot numbers listed in the FDA release linked above are urged to throw the spices away and call the company's consumer hotline with any questions.

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 Posted on August 13, 2016 in Food borne illness

Whether you believe in climate change or not, whether you believe climate change is due to human activity or not, the fact is this: There have been measurable changes to the planet's temperature in recent decades. These changes have led to multiple chain reactions, such as thinner ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean driving polar bears south and rising sea levels threatening human residences in coastal areas. Another effect of climate change is the increased number of waterborne food poisoning cases reported.

Raw oysters have been linked to foodborne illness more than other types of seafood, though illness has been linked to the consumption of multiple species. For comparison, in the late 1990s, an average of 390 lab-confirmed cases of waterborne food poisoning were reported in the United States each year. Today, that number is more than 1,000 each year. Food poisoning can be caused by many different types of bacteria, and each type of bacteria is linked to specific symptoms. If you become ill because of another party's failure to properly clean, store, transport, or prepare food, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your damages.

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 Posted on July 31, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Every year, thousands of children and teens from around the country head off to summer camp to spend a week or longer away from their families, mastering new skills and building new friendships. Although some camps only last a few hours each day, known as day camps, others have campers sleep over in cabins or tents. These camps are known as sleep-away camps and while campers are there, the camps provide them with all their meals.

If a child is served unsafe food at camp, he or she can become ill. Examples of dangerous bacteria that can be found in food served at summer camp as well as food found elsewhere include Salmonella, Listeria, Norovirus, E.coli, and Staphylococcus. Food poisoning can be much more dangerous for children than it is for adults because children's immune systems are still developing. The younger the child, the more profoundly food poisoning can affect him or her. If your child becomes ill with food poisoning and requires medical care, you can seek compensation for any damages associated with the illness through a food poisoning claim.

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 Posted on July 24, 2016 in Food Poisoning

The Republican National Convention in Cleveland has come to a close, and from it came speeches from Republican leaders from around the country, hours of footage, and presidential nominee Donald Trump's official nomination, along with his running mate, Michael Pence. But something else happened during the convention. 11 members of the California delegation's support team fell ill with what appears to be norovirus, a highly contagious virus that can be transmitted from person to person and through consuming contaminated food or water. The individuals who fell ill were staying at the Kalahari Resorts approximately one hour away from the convention in Sandusky, Ohio.

Two of the 11 victims were pregnant and needed to be hospitalized. Like other types of food poisoning, norovirus can be especially dangerous for the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and individuals with compromised immune systems. If you experience any of the symptoms of norovirus listed below, take steps to keep yourself hydrated and avoid any strenuous activity while you recover. It is also important that you avoid contact with others during your recovery because norovirus is contagious. If your symptoms worsen or fail to subside within a few days, seek medical attention.

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 Posted on July 16, 2016 in Food Poisoning

The midst of summer is upon us and during this time of year, many Illinois residents and families choose to enjoy the long, hot days and nights outside, gathered around campfires and backyard fire pits. Often, these outdoor fires are used to cook hot dogs, shish kabobs, and other foods like marshmallows for s'mores. Sitting around the campfire eating a freshly charred dinner is a great way to make warm summer memories with family and friends.

It can also be a great way to contract dangerous bacteria if you are not careful. Processed meats like hot dogs and summer sausages can harbor Listeria among other types of dangerous bacteria. Chicken, which you might eat on a skewer with peppers and onions cooked over the fire, can harbor Salmonella, and the fresh side salad can also be home to bacteria that can cause you to suffer from food poisoning. With this information in mind, make smart choices about food safety this summer to reduce your chance of suffering from food poisoning.

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 Posted on July 10, 2016 in Ecoli

After at least 25 individuals became ill with Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC), the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) linked the outbreak to Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill. The restaurant is located on 26th street and serves a variety of Mexican fare including tacos, burritos, and margaritas. The restaurant complied with the CDPH's request to investigate the outbreak, which traced the STEC infections to its kitchen.

STEC is a treatable illness, but it can have serious complications, especially in individuals who do not receive adequate treatment in a timely manner. All individuals who ate at this Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill location recently are urged to seek medical attention if they experience STEC symptoms. In rare occurrences, STEC can cause a victim to become severely dehydrated and ill, requiring hospitalization. Thus far, five victims of this outbreak have been hospitalized. If you become ill with STEC or any other type of food poisoning, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Then, consider filing a personal injury claim to seek compensation for your damages.

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 Posted on July 02, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

Meat is fully cooked and safe to eat when its juices run clear, right? Actually, this is a myth. Although the color of a cut of meat or its juices can indicate whether it has been cooked to a safe temperature, they alone can not be used to make this determination. The only way to know for sure whether your meat has reached a safe internal temperature, which means that the meat has reached the temperature at which any potentially harmful bacteria within it is dead, is to use a meat thermometer.

Other myths about safe food handling and storage procedures and the process of contracting food poisoning abound. These myths often cause individuals to make unsafe food handling choices and become ill. Familiarize yourself with some of the most common food poisoning myths and their corresponding facts to reduce your chance of suffering from food poisoning.

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 Posted on June 18, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Harmful bacteria is not the only reason that victims become ill after eating certain foods. Sometimes, individuals suffer from allergic reactions from eating specific foods. These reactions can range from fairly benign, like itchy red eyes and a runny nose to anaphylaxis, the intense swelling of the throat, tongue, or other area of the body often accompanied by fever, vomiting, and low blood pressure.

Recently, a Massachusetts family made headlines when they filed a claim against Panera Bread after their allergic daughter was served a grilled cheese sandwich that contained peanut butter. The family allegedly told the cashier at the Panera franchise that their daughter was highly allergic to nuts and that no nut products were to come into contact with her sandwich. The cafe chain stated that the mistake was likely made by an employee with limited English skills who misunderstood the request. Now, the family is seeking compensation, alleging that Panera was negligent by allowing this employee to make the sandwich. Although allergic reactions are not the same as becoming ill with food poisoning, individuals who suffer from reactions because of undeclared allergens in their food, whether the allergen was meant to be there but the food was not labeled correctly or if the allergen somehow contaminated the food, have the right to seek compensation for their damages through food poisoning claims.

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 Posted on June 10, 2016 in Food Poisoning

Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) releases its Reportable Food Registry. This is an electronic registry that lists all reportable foods that were submitted to the FDA during the five-year reporting period. The fifth edition, chronicling all instances of reportable food made between September 2009 and September 2014, came out in May 2016.

A reportable food is a food or food product intended for human or animal consumption that, due to recorded instances of illness, has a reasonable probability of causing those who consume it to suffer from food poisoning. When a food item is determined to be reportable, it must be reported to the FDA within 24 hours. This helps the FDA track potential food poisoning outbreaks and work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow and contain them. If you find yourself suffering from food poisoning symptoms, seek medical attention to confirm whether your symptoms are due to harmful bacteria and if so, which kind. Then, consider working with a food poisoning attorney to seek compensation for your damages.

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