Plaintiffs’ Bar Prepares Litigation in National Salmonella Outbreak
With hundreds of foods containing potentially contaminated peanut butter being recalled daily, plaintiffs’ lawyers across the nation have begun to file claims against producers, suppliers, retailers, and others in the supply chain. Food claims lawyer William Marler has reportedly brought an action against the Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America on behalf of Vermont residents Gabrielle and Daryl Meunier whose 7-year-old son was among the nearly 500 people purportedly sickened by the Salmonella typhimurium traced to a Peanut Corp. processing
plant in Georgia. According to a news source, the Meunier’s son spent six days in the hospital after consuming cheese and peanut butter crackers. A Minnesota-based food safety lawyer reportedly plans to file a claim against Peanut Corp. and its distributor, King Nut Companies, on behalf of the family of a 72-year-old woman who allegedly died in December 2008 after eating Salmonella-contaminated
peanut butter served at a long-term care facility in Minnesota.
In recent days, foods that contain peanut butter and peanut paste, such as candies, cookie dough, ice cream, cereal, energy bars, ready-to-eat meals with peanut sauce, crackers, and even dog treats, have been subject to nationwide recalls. The Food and Drug Administration maintains a list of affected products and notes that, while animals will not likely be affected if they eat tainted products, people could ingest Salmonella if they do not wash their hands after handling the treats. Apparently, some 85 companies purchased peanut butter and peanut paste produced in the Georgia facility, and the Salmonella strain linked to the outbreak has reportedly been found in a package of crackers with peanut butter. The Center for Science in the Public Interest cited the peanut butter outbreak in a statement calling on the Obama administration to give the FDA more authority and resources. See USA Today, January 17, 2009; The Wall Street Journal, January 20, 2009; Newsday, U.S. Food Law Report, and The Washington Post, January 21, 2009; CSPI Press Release, January 22, 2009.
