The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently announced a massive recall of about 8.7 million pounds of meat from a California company amid concerns that the meat came from diseased animals which were not properly inspected. The government agency described the meat products as “unsound, unwholesome or otherwise unfit for human food”. The recalled meat had been shipped to distribution and retail centers in California, Florida, Texas, and Illinois. The issue with this particular recall is that it includes meat which was produced between January 1, 2013 and January 7, 2014, meaning a full year’s supply of meat from this facility may have been contaminated. Although the government agency says there have been no confirmed illnesses from these meat products it is hard to really be certain since the potential for illness goes back a full year.
Those who are sickened due to unsafe food have the same legal rights as someone harmed by a defective product. Making a case for a food poisoning claim is made much easier when a government agency has linked a particular food to an illness or potential danger. Many states have adopted strict product liability laws which mean that the injured person only has to show that the food consumed was contaminated, or otherwise unfit, and that contaminated/unfit nature of the food caused the illness. In addition to strict liability, injured persons are always able to bring a lawsuit under a claim of negligence. A negligence claim would involve showing that the defendants were not reasonably careful in making or distributing the food that made the person sick. These claims can be made against not only the original processor of the food product but also against distributors, and retailers of the products.
If you or a loved one has been sickened or even killed by a contaminated food product the attorneys at Ben Bronston and Associates are here to help. Our attorneys have many years of experience representing those harmed by the negligence of others in Texas. If you believe an illness was caused by the meat in this recall or any other contaminated product our attorneys will fight to get you the justice you deserve for the medical bills and any other pain you may have incurred.
