Contaminated Condiments What You Should Know Before You Eat

If you have a weak stomach, then you will not want to read the rest of this article. There you have it. You are warned. Don't send me e-mails complaining that I ruined your appetite with the disgusting examples in this article. I'm aware of how gross it is already. But today we need to discuss the injuries that can result from contaminated food, improper food preparation, and foreign substances in food.

There is a lot of food cooked by restaurants every day in the USA and few cases of injury reported, so food caused ailments are not the norm. Bodily injuries caused by food can range from minor gum laceration due to glass slivers to death as a result of improperly prepared food. This happened a few years ago at a Jack in the Box.

Product liability law covers food cases. The general rule is, if the injury-causing item is foreign to the food, the food preparer is totally responsible for injuries a person may receive from the food. Two common scenarios would be maggots infesting a chicken breast or a piece of glass found inside of an ice cream cone. The preparer and seller of the food are liable for any injuries you experience that are the result of ingesting the foreign substance.

For example, there was one case in which a person ate a McDonalds Fillet-o-Fish sandwich and ingested a fish bone. In that case the person ate the sandwich, and afterward the bone became lodged in her esophagus; this required her to undergo surgery. McDonalds isn't responsible for the injury; however, the maker of the fish patty was negligent by not making certain that no bones were in a piece of fish that had been labeled "fillet."

Food preparers can also be responsible for not warning people about foods containing common allergy creating agents. Walnuts are a good example of an ingredient that a patron could be allergic to. Food preparers are responsible for preparing food correctly, like being sure that poultry is cooked to the proper internal temperature. Food borne illnesses like E. coli and Hepatitis A have also been seen to have been contracted as the result of a food preparer not properly washing his hands after using the restroom.

It's the responsibility of the injured person to prove that the food that was eaten was contaminated; this sometimes makes injuries caused by food poisoning quite difficult to prove. It can become difficult to find out what food caused the injury or where it came from because the majority of people eat all through the day at various locations.

It is a lot easier to prove an injury was caused by a foreign substance in food than it is to prove one was caused by contaminated food. It is important that you keep any foreign object found in your food as well as the food itself; do not give the food or foreign object back to the preparer or any restaurant employee. You will require this as evidence if you want to win your case.

When eating out in a restaurant, it is just about impossible to prevent injuries such as these. Food manufacturers, as well as people who handle our food, have us at their mercy. Even in some of the best restaurants, food poisoning can happen at any moment. You need to understand that you are entitled to financial compensation for your injuries if you have been injured by improperly prepared food or a foreign object in your food.

When choosing a restaurant, try to use common sense and eat only at restaurants that have good reputations and where cleanliness is obviously a priority. Enjoy!