Lettuce E. coli Outbreak Is The Subject of New Grants
Seven grants worth a total of $500,000 have been awarded to help diminish the chances of another lettuce E. coli outbreak.
The topic is one of high interest at national food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, where the firm’s founder and president, Fred Pritzker, has been a critic of the leafy green industry’s efforts to self-police itself against crops that cause potentially deadly human disease.
If you or someone you know has recently become sickened by E. coli that was potentially caused by eating contaminated lettuce, please call our law firm as soon as possible. The toll-free number is 1-888-377-8900, or contact us online using a free case consultation form.
The grant program is a combined effort between the Center for Produce Safety and the California Leafy Green Research Program. Announced recently, it will fund seven scientific projects with the goal of lowering the risk of foodborne illness in bagged lettuce, head lettuce, spinach and other leafy green vegetables.
Five of the seven winning projects specifically target E. coli O157:H7, a virulent organism that has plagued consumers of lettuce for many years. The “business-focused” grants run through March 2010.
Lettuce outbreaks are not uncommon. Just last fall, a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was linked to bagged lettuce grown in California and packed and distributed by Michigan-based Aunt Mid’s.
From 1995 to 2005, there were 19 E. coli outbreaks in the U.S. associated with lettuce or other leafy green vegetables and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued letters of guidance to the industry on how to better prevent human disease outbreaks that have the potential to kill.
E. coli O157:H7 is a serious health threat, especially to young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems. Especially among those populations, infection can lead to hospitalization and kidney malfunction. And patients who are given antibiotics for an E. coli infection are at greater risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of E. coli deaths.
Other health risks of E. coli O157:H7 poisoning include abnormal kidney function, blindness, Hemorrhagic Colitis, high blood pressure, paralysis, seizures and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disease in adults that carries the risk of stroke, seizures and central nervous system deterioration.
Pritzker Olsen has years of experience representing E. coli victims and their families. The firm has recovered millions of dollars for its food poisoning clients and is dedicated to educating the public about food safety issues, while lobbying for more effective legislation to protect the U.S. food supply from deadly pathogens. It is one of the few law firms in the country that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.
