Food Poisoning Deaths Prompt Call for Passage of Food Safety Law

In light of recent Salmonella and E. coli deaths, Pritzker Olsen, a national food safety law firm, is calling for quick passage of H.R. 875 into law. "Eating a hamburger should not be a high-risk activity," said Pritzker Olsen attorney Eric Hageman. "Parents need to know that the food they serve their children is safe to eat."

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB / PRWEB) May 28, 2009 -- In light of the recent deaths from Salmonella and E. coli food poisoning, including the death May 17 of a seven-year-old Cleveland girl, Pritzker Olsen, P.A., a national food safety law firm, is calling for quick passage of H.R. 875, a food safety bill introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro on February 4, 2009.

On May 17, 2009, a seven-year-old girl died from an E. coli infection in Cleveland, Ohio. According to health officials, her death may be part of a multi-state E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with the consumption of ground beef produced by Valley Meats LLC, a USDA-licensed processor of beef based in Illinois. Prompted by this outbreak, Valley Meats recalled over 95,000 pounds of ground beef products on May 21, 2009 due to possible E. coli contamination. The recalled ground beef had been distributed for use in restaurants and food service facilities. This case highlights the need for strong, enforced food safety laws from farm to fork.

"Eating a hamburger should not be a high-risk activity," said Pritzker Olsen attorney Eric Hageman. "Parents need to know that the food they serve their children is safe to eat."

If the major provisions of H.R. 875, outlined below, are enacted and new regulations are promulgated and enforced, tragic deaths like that of the little girl in Cleveland will be prevented.

H.R. 875 - Major Provisions
1. Establishment of the Food Safety Administration (FSA). Now the USDA-FSIS oversees the meat industries, and the FDA oversees other food products.
2. Authority for the FSA to promulgate strong, effective regulations, enforce those regulations, force the recall of products, adequately inspect and obtain pertinent records. Giving federal health officials the authority to force companies to recall products is critical to prevention of foodborne illness. It can take weeks after a food source of an outbreak is suspected for the manufacturer to recall the product. People can get sick and die while these companies drag their feet.
3. Authority for the FSA to establish a beefed-up inspection program. The anemic food inspection programs in the United States are a significant factor contributing to the rise of huge, multi-state foodborne outbreaks.
4. Requirement that imported food must meet the new standards as food manufactured in the United States. With global food sources becoming an ever-growing part of the food system, this is critical. In addition, we would like to see a much higher percentage of imported food being inspected by federal health officials.

Food safety bills are regularly introduced with much fanfare and then sent to committee, where they languish and die. We are asking Congress to take action now.

Pritzker Olsen, P.A., is one of the few law firms in the United States that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation. The firm has collected millions of dollars on behalf of victims of E. coli poisoning and other foodborne illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.pritzkerlaw.com or contact Pritzker Olsen at (612) 338-0202. Pritzker Olsen has offices at Plaza VII, Suite 2950, 45 South Seventh Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402.

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