Busy families are often thinking about how to manage work and school schedules in addition to responsibilities like grocery shopping and getting dinner on the table quickly in the evening. Preparing a family meal is a normal, daily activity and not one that most people think of as potentially dangerous.
It may be helpful for Missouri families to know what to do if the food they consume is contaminated, however. Sometimes common foods like vegetables, dairy products, meat and baked goods are recalled or have safety alerts, but not always.
Contaminated food can cause food poisoning and symptoms like stomach upset and fever. In more serious cases, it may cause dehydration and even difficulty seeing or speaking which may necessitate a visit to a medical professional.
The medical costs associated with severe food contamination can be significant.
Product liability claims
Food products are governed by product liability law, which sets standards to ensure food producers do not cause harm to consumers. There are several elements that need to be established for a product liability claim in Missouri.
The food producer must have transferred a product in the course of his or her business and the product must have been used in a reasonably anticipated manner.
The injured person must also show that either the product was unreasonably dangerous and he or she was damaged as a direct result of the defective condition when it was sold or it was unreasonably dangerous and he or she was damaged when it was sold without an adequate warning.
The injured person does not have to prove that the food producer intended to cause the harm.
It’s important that families consume safe food. If they are harmed by a food product, an experienced attorney can assist them with next steps.
