Bernard Law Group's blog

Nearly 5 Million Pounds of Meat Recalled for E. Coli Contamination

A meat-packing company in Southern California has significantly expanded its ground beef recall and veal due to fears of E. coli contamination. According to an Associated Press news report, the recall includes about 4.9 million additional pounds of products by Huntington Meat Packing Inc. The original recall was for 864,000 pounds of meat and was announced on January 18. So far, there have been no reports of illnesses or fatalities as a result of these recalled meat products.

The contaminated meat was sold in 10, 20, and 50-pound packages to distribution centers, restaurants and hotels between January 4 and January 22, 2010. The products include ground beef patties, diced beef, veal patties and beef burrito filling mix. The Office of the Inspector General is conducting an investigation of the manufacturing plants. The investigation has apparently revealed that "the products were prepared in a manner that did not follow rules to prevent food safety hazards." Investigators are also saying that they find the company's food safety records to be unreliable.

Seattle personal injury lawyers who have experience handling products liability and food borne illness cases know that E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that in the most serious of cases, can cause kidney damage or even death. The most common symptoms of an E. coli infection include bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are prone to severe E. coli infections. If you have been sickened or have suffered long-term health problems as a result of a food-borne illness, you may seek compensation from the negligent food manufacturer to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering and other related damages.

If you have been sickened as a result of these products, contact an experienced Seattle food-borne illness attorney to find out about your rights. Please call The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful, educational information to help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iczAgwtWFBT089LUZgG56BhYqkyAD9DRFN9G0

Salmonella Outbreak from Salami Products Hits Washington State

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is investigating an alarming salmonella outbreak, which federal food safety officials have linked to Daniele brand salami and sausage meat products. According to CDC's Web site, 217 people in 44 states have been infected with a matching strain of Salmonella Montevideo. So far, 42 have been hospitalized as a result of the food poisoning. Until now, 15 cases have been reported in Washington State. No fatalities have been reported yet in connection with this outbreak.

CDC officials say that the infected patients range in age from infants to 93-years-old. More than half of those affected are men. A preliminary analysis and study shows that the salami manufactured by the Rhode Island company, Daniele International Inc., may have caused this salmonella outbreak.

The most common symptoms of salmonella infections include diarrhea, vomiting, severe stomach cramps and fever. Most patients who are affected by this bacterium are able to recover without treatment. However, in case of severe infection, patients do require hospitalization and treatment with antibiotics. Skilled Seattle products liability attorneys know that if ignored, a salmonella infection has the potential to become fatal. Infants, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems are most likely to be severely affected by this strain of bacteria.

If you have been a victim of food poisoning in Washington State as a result of these contaminated products, you may be able to seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, cost of hospitalization, pain and suffering and other damages. If you have been injured as a result of a food-borne illness, please contact a food-borne illness lawyer to find out about your rights. Call the Bernard Law Group for a FREE, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington personal injury cases, which has useful, educational information to help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/montevideo/index.html

E. coli Contaminated Beef Sickens Consumers in Washington

About 248,000 pounds of beef contaminated with the deadly E. coli bacteria has been recalled in six states including Washington State, King5 reports. The food-borne illness threat comes from beef products manufactured by the Oklahoma-based National Steak and Poultry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported several illnesses involving the E. coli-tainted beef in six states, including Washington. The company began a voluntary recall of its beef products marketed under its name, as well as other names including Carino's Boneless Beef and Moe's Beef Steak. For more information about this recall, please visit www.nationalsteak.com.

E. coli infections typically cause abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea with bloody stools. Young children and the elderly are at the highest risk of becoming infected with E. Coli and developing a severe complication known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause life-threatening kidney failure. Most of these cases apparently develop after several days of diarrhea due to infection with a specific strain of E. coli. Both children and adults may develop this serious complication after E. coli infections.

If you have been afflicted with any type of food poisoning or food-borne illness, please visit your doctor immediately. It is important that your doctor determines what type of infection it is and that you get treated for it right away to avoid serious complications. It would also be a good idea to preserve the food that caused your illness and have it lab-tested for the presence of bacteria.

If someone else's negligence has caused your serious food poisoning injuries, contact the skilled Seattle injury personal lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington food-borne illness cases, which has useful information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/local/Beef-recall-in-six-states-including-Washington-80166407.html