Food contamination injuries can be severe. Whether you are grabbing a quick lunch at a local
diner or enjoying a large dinner at a new restaurant, you are trusting that dining establishment
with your health and safety. The same is true when you are shopping for groceries to feed your
family or taking your kids to their favorite fast food joint.

Stores and eateries are responsible for ensuring the food items they sell are properly stored,
cleaned, handled, and prepared. When these establishments fail at any of these tasks, they risk
their customers’ health and well-being, leading to a food contamination injury.

When people who handle your food fail at their jobs and cause illness, they must be held
financially liable. That is where our law firm comes in. Contact us today to learn more about your
rights if you have been the victim of a business’s improper food handling practices.

Food Contamination Injury Deep Dive

The most common food contamination injuries people suffer are allergic reactions or food
poisoning. These illnesses are often severe and incur expensive medical bills. This is why our
law firm is here to help you receive the compensation you deserve.

Let’s take a deep dive into the effects and causes of food poisoning and food allergy reactions
and how our law firm can help you.

Food Poisoning Injuries

Food poisoning is a term that covers a variety of illnesses and symptoms caused by improperly
handled or prepared foods. Nausea is the most common food poisoning symptom, but these
food-borne illnesses can also cause more dangerous and even life-threatening symptoms.
According to the experts, food poisoning happens when you eat or drink something that has
been contaminated with

● Bacteria/Germs
● Norovirus
● Salmonella
● Listera
● Botulism
● Staph
● Pesticides
● Chemicals
● Herbicides
● Other toxic substances

Any of these food contaminants can cause illness within just a few hours up to several days
after ingesting the unsafe items. Stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea are the
most common symptoms associated with food poisoning.

At its best, food poisoning is uncomfortable and can knock you down for days at a time. At its
worst, food poisoning can be deadly. Some groups are at an even greater risk of health
complications from contaminated food, like young children, pregnant people, the elderly, and the
immune-compromised.

How Mistakes Can Lead to Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is typically caused when those who are trusted to handle our food are neglectful
or fail to follow proper food safety processes. These mistakes include:

● Storing food at improper temperatures allowing pathogens and bacteria to grow.
● Not cooking food thoroughly, failing to kill germs.
● Allowing for cross-contamination by not separating foods.
● Failing to practice proper hygiene and cleanliness steps.

If any of these mistakes were made with your food and led to a food contamination injury,
contact our law firm for assistance today.

Food Allergy Injuries

Food allergies are prevalent, and if you suffer from a food allergy, you know how dangerous
they can be. If you consume food items that have been contaminated with your known food
allergen, you could become severely ill or worse. Obviously, you know to inform restaurant staff
of any food allergies you or your family members suffer from. Still, then, it is up to the restaurant
kitchen to take necessary safety measures to ensure there’s no cross-contamination.

When the kitchen staff fails to take food allergies seriously, and items are contaminated, the
result can be dangerous, if not life-threatening. Some common reactions to food allergens
include hives, rash, itching, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal distress, asphyxiation, and even
death.

These dangerous reactions to food allergens are avoidable when proper safety protocols are
taken. If the eatery you dined at failed to follow the safety protocols, you may be entitled to legal
compensation. Contact the food poisoning injury experts at our law firm. You or your loved one
should not suffer due to a dining establishment or grocery store's reckless behavior or

inattention to detail. If you have suffered food poisoning or a dangerous reaction to food
allergens because of this negligent behavior, it is time to seek legal recourse.

Holding an At-fault Party Liable for Food Poisoning and/or Allergy Exposure in California

Any person or business who takes on the responsibility to handle or prepare your food also
takes responsibility for your health and well-being. This means they are responsible for following
essential food preparation and managing safety measures at all times. When they fail to do so,
you have the right to seek financial compensation.

At our law firm, our food poisoning attorneys are here to investigate the cause of your food-borne
illness. During our team’s investigation, we will work to find the at-fault party to be held
responsible for your foodborne injury. Every case has its differences, so taking a deep dive into
your case details is our specialty.

Who Might Be Held Liable For My Food-borne Illness Injury?

Again, the details of each case are slightly different, and one or more parties may be found
liable for your particular food injury. Some of the most common responsible parties include
kitchen staff, owners, restaurant operators, caterers, commercial food manufacturing
businesses, the distributors themselves, grocery stores and their employees, and any individual
who might handle or prepare your meals.

The above are just a few examples of at-fault parties that could be culpable for your illness. Our
team may also discover other at-fault parties during our investigation, and we will advise you as
such.

Types of Damages That Can Be Pursued Because of Foodborne Illness and Injuries.
When pursuing legal actions against the at-fault parties for your food-borne illness, you may be
entitled to seek the following types of damages.

● Damages associated with all current or future medical costs related to your injury.
● Lost wages if your injury forced you to miss out on work.
● Non-medical expenses tied to your injury.
● Damages for physical or emotional pain or suffering.
● In some cases, you may be entitled to punitive damages as well.

If you find yourself in need of legal assistance after you or a loved one has been injured by a
food establishment, contact the legal experts at our law firm as soon as possible.

FAQS About Food Poisoning and Food Allergy Exposure Cases

How will I be able to prove what specific food made me sick?

Sometimes, you’ll have an immediate reaction to contaminated food items, making it easy to tell
which item made you ill. However, other times, it may take days for you to become sick or show
symptoms. In this case, how do you prove which food item made you sick? We suggest seeing
a doctor for treatment for your illness and seeing if they could help pinpoint which meal or
contaminated food item made you sick.

When should I consider calling an attorney because of food poisoning?

Obviously, not every food poisoning case will result in a lawsuit. You should only consider
contacting our law firm when your foodborne illness causes one of the following. The food-
related sickness placed you or your loved one in the hospital or required emergency medical
treatment. The food that made you sick was packaged correctly and within its sell-by date,
indicating contamination at the manufacturing level. You and several other people are made ill
by consuming the same food. You or your loved one had an allergic reaction to food served to
you by someone who knew of the food allergen’s existence.