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Wondering How and Why You Came Down with Food Poisoning?
In American society, there is too often a sense that if someone is suffering due to a foodborne illness, they are simply grappling with a turn of bad luck. In reality, food poisoning usually occurs because of negligent practices by individuals or companies. As a result, many cases of food poisoning are legally actionable. Inadequate hygiene, poor safety practices, and a host of other preventable challenges are what generally lead to food poisoning on farms, in manufacturing facilities, packaging centers, stores, restaurants, and events where food is served.
There are two challenges that generally make filing a food poisoning matter in civil court particularly tricky. First, a plaintiff must be able to prove that their food poisoning resulted in financial loss, such as medical bills from a hospital stay and lost income due to time off taken to recover. Second, it can be difficult to prove exactly how and why a food poisoning victim became ill.
Do You Have Food Poisoning or the Flu?
When you are not feeling well, it is rare that you know exactly what is going on. Unless you have been in direct contact with someone who is sick or your symptoms are unusually distinct, chances are that you wait until you are surer of what is happening to you before you take action, such as heading to your doctor’s office. After all, in the early stages of medical distress, you could potentially be suffering from anything from food poisoning to chicken pox and it often pays to know what you are dealing with before attempting to manage the situation in specific ways.
Frustratingly, it is not always easy to understand what is happening to your body, even if you wait until you are uncomfortably symptomatic before trying to treat your condition. For example, it is often difficult to discern whether you have food poisoning or the flu if you are experiencing gastrointestinal distress.
Which Foodborne Illnesses Place Pregnant Women at Risk?
For pregnant women, the list of potentially dangerous things to avoid can seem endless. Obviously, activities like smoking and drinking are off-limits, but so are many other common activities - cleaning a cat litter box, certain types of exercise, flying on airplanes after a certain date, and eating fish that are high in mercury. However, the most common dangers that pregnant women face can come from a seemingly innocuous source: Food, especially food that is often seen as healthy like salads. Women who suffer from food poisoning during pregnancy can face serious consequences and, if they are injured, may be entitled to take legal action.
Why is Foodborne Illness More Dangerous During Pregnancy?
A crucial part of healthy fetal development is the suppression of the mother’s own immune system. This prevents the mother’s body from rejecting the fetus as a foreign object, but it also weakens the immune system’s ability to respond to threats, making serious illness from germs much more likely. Common types of food poisoning, such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, have the potential to develop serious complications in pregnant women, including, but not limited to:
USDA Issues Annual Food Safety Warning Before Super Bowl
On February 12, people all over the United States, including Illinois, will gather with friends and family to watch the Super Bowl. During this time-honored American tradition, food plays a major role, and people make and order a wide variety of food. Every year, the USDA issues a warning to be careful about food handling and food safety; and yet, every year, people get sick.
Whether you get food poisoning from the food you buy at the store or food you order from a restaurant, it can pose serious risks to your health. Learn more about the unique dangers of food poisoning that long-lasting events can pose, and contact an Illinois food poisoning attorney for help with your case.
Why Are Super Bowl Events a Common Source of Food Poisoning?
One of the most enjoyable parts of watching the Super Bowl is that it is not just a game - it is an event, with a much-anticipated Halftime Show, entertaining commercials, and sports commentary before and after the game. Super Bowl events typically last at least four hours, but often go on for much longer. During the entire event, large amounts of food frequently sit out at room temperature and are not refrigerated, reheated, or covered.
Alfalfa Sprouts Recall Due to Salmonella Contamination
A Nebraska company is recalling alfalfa sprouts after 15 people experienced salmonella poisoning and two others were hospitalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are more than one million cases of salmonella poisoning in the United States every year with 83 percent attributed to food. At Newland & Newland, LLP, we believe that no one's health or well-being should be put at risk by negligent safety practices.
SunSprouts Distribution
SunSprouts Enterprises recalled some 1,406 pounds of raw alfalfa sprouts that were sold at restaurants and grocery stores in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas between November 2022 and late December 2022, with expiration dates through January 7, 2023.
The CDC is urging people not to eat the recalled alfalfa sprouts and to throw them away. They were sold in four-ounce clamshell packaging and larger packages of 2.5 pounds. If you come into contact with these sprouts, you should clean surfaces with soap and water.
Sesame Must Be Declared on Food Labels in 2023
An increasing number of Americans are living with food allergies today than ever before. The CDC says someone suffers a food allergy reaction and winds up in the emergency room every three minutes. More than 32 million Americans have a food allergy and 1.5 million are specifically allergic to sesame. Therefore, effective January 1, 2023, sesame was added as the ninth major food allergen recognized by the United States.
Sesame: The Ninth Food Allergen
Under the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act of 2021, sesame must be clearly labeled on packaged foods. Sesame is an edible seed of the sesame plant and a popular ingredient in everything from baked goods to sushi. Reports suggest this allergy has increased significantly around the world in the past two decades.
When someone is allergic to sesame, the proteins in the seeds bind to antibodies made by the person’s immune system. As with any allergy, that triggers a person’s immune defenses and leads to symptoms that may be mild or severe. Mild symptoms involve swollen lips and hives. More serious injuries include anaphylaxis, which could trigger fatal respiratory problems. This reaction could require being rushed to the emergency room or an epinephrine (EpiPen) injection. Food allergies cannot be cured but learning to manage food allergies and recognizing what foods to avoid can prevent serious health consequences. Here are the nine major food allergens that should be properly identified on food labels moving forward, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
Frozen Chicken Meal Recalled Due to Mislabeling
Food allergies are a growing health concern in the United States and often food labels are people’s only line of defense. But when food is not labeled properly it can have some serious health consequences. Each year some 90,000 people end up in the emergency room after having a severe food allergy. The most recent recall is for Crispy Chicken with Almonds sold exclusively at Walmart because it may contain shrimp.
Widespread Distribution
Mountain View Packaging issued the recall for the frozen entrée due to the potential risk for consumers that may have shellfish allergies. Those with a high sensitivity to shellfish can experience a life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. The frozen dishes were labeled as InnovAsian Crispy Chicken with Almonds. They were distributed to retailers in 29 states, including Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says the company took the frozen dish from shelves but it is concerned that people may still have the product in their freezers.
Oyster Recall Due to Multistate Norovirus Outbreak
More than 200 people in the United States have contracted norovirus after eating contaminated raw oysters. Some 20 million people get sick as a result of norovirus each year. Thousands end up hospitalized and more than 900 die. If you have suffered food poisoning due to contaminated oysters, you need an experienced food poisoning attorney with a proven track record with these types of cases.
CDC Warning
The CDC warns that oysters from Galveston, Texas are contaminated. They were sold to restaurants and stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Additional states may be involved.
If you ate these raw oysters, they may contain viruses and bacteria that can cause illness or death. Children under five years old, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are most at risk of severe infections.
Deli Meat and Cheese Linked to New Listeria Outbreak: Can I File a Lawsuit?
One person has died, a pregnant woman lost her baby, and several others have required hospitalization after contracting listeria from deli meat and cheese. Listeria is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the United States and is especially dangerous for pregnant women, those over 65 years old, and people with a weak immune system. If you have been affected by the latest outbreak contact Newland & Newland, LLP. We have experienced listeria food poisoning attorneys who can help.
Impacted States
Infections have been reported in Illinois, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and California. People have reported getting sick after eating deli meat or cheese sold at a market in New York. But officials believe this store is not the only source of the contaminated food and that the number of sick people is likely to rise.
Health Complications Due to Listeria
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