While many of us are concerned with the various health benefits of the foods we eat and invest time in reading labels and searching for low-fat or heart-healthy ingredients to use in food preparation, we generally do not think to question whether our food is actually safe to consume. While food safety is generally something many of us take for granted, a recent rash of outbreaks within the Carolinas of food borne bacterial outbreaks have raised concerns. Both local and national cases of food poisoning involving E. coli, salmonella, and Hepatitis A made headline news throughout the summer of 2015, and have left hundreds sickened. Injuries and illness as the result of food poisoning can be severe and even life-threatening. Amidst calls for safer food handling practices, food industry executives, distributors, and managers who knowingly disregard U.S. food safety practices are now being held accountable for putting the public’s health at risk.
Recent Cases of Food Poisoning
Jump Ahead To
Three recent cases involving foodborne bacteria and illness have put South Carolina in the national spotlight:
- Over the early part of summer in 2015, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) investigated 14 cases of E. coli at a childcare facility in Greenwood County . The case made national news after a two-year-old died of complications related to the illness. The source of the contamination was never actually identified, but investigators attribute the spread of the bacteria to person to person contact, rather than one particular food source.
- In mid-September of 2015, DHEC investigated claims that involved customers exposed to Hepatitis A at two Spartanburg Hardee’s locations. DHEC’s investigation revealed that an employee of the restaurant chain had the bacterial virus, which causes severe liver damage. Customer who ate or drank anything at the restaurant anytime earlier in the month were advised to get post-exposure treatment for the disease.
- In July of 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began receiving reports of people sickened by salmonella infected cucumbers that had been imported from Mexico and shipped to 35 states throughout the country. While the cucumbers were eventually recalled, thousands are suspected to have been sickened by the bacteria, over 170 people have been hospitalized, and there have thus far been 4 confirmed deaths associated with the outbreak.
Holding the Food Industry Accountable
The CDC estimates that over 48 million people are sickened by various types of food poisoning each year in the United States. In a landmark legal battle, the owner of a company which manufactured peanut butter was charged and may end up with a life sentence for a salmonella outbreak due to contaminated peanut butter in 2007 , which resulted in 714 reported injuries in 46 states and 9 deaths. The co-owner of the company and the plant manager also face charges for their part in using peanuts contaminated with salmonella. This is the first time a food executive has been held accountable for playing a part in a food poisoning outbreak, and it could well open the door for future cases while sending a warning to those in the food industry.
Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you or a loved one has gotten sick as the result of food poisoning, contact our experienced South Carolina personal injury attorney right away. At the law firm of Lauren Taylor, we will fight to hold responsible parties accountable and get you the compensation you deserve. Don’t delay. Serving all of Upstate South Carolina, we are ready to help you. Call us now at 843-790-9009 .
South Carolina divorce attorney Lauren Taylor practices family law in Charleston and Greenville. She graduated from the Charlotte School of Law, and has been practicing for more than ten years.
Since the firm’s inception in 2012, Mrs. Taylor has helped hundreds of people navigate the uncertainties surrounding the family and criminal court process.
She has cultivated a team that ensures each case has a strategy crafted specifically to the clients needs and desires.
Her commitment to top notch service has led her to open two additional offices in the low country where she now resides with her husband Michael and her golden retriever, Buster.