Food Safety

Fred Pritzker and Family of E. coli Victim Speak out on Food Safety
A recent story on WCCO Channel 4 in Minneapolis featured the family of one of the victims of the 2006 E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach. The victim, a healthy, active woman, died just days after eating fresh spinach.

Attorney Fred Pritzker, who represents the family, was quoted as saying:

"The pain that is produced by something like this is just off the charts," said Minneapolis attorney Fred Pritzker, who represents the family. Pritzker wants safety improvements in the food industry. "We have the technology, we have the understanding to make this a lot safer but yet no one has the will to do it," he said.

For the full story and a video of the interview, please click here.

Information on Food Safety for Your Family

At Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A., we are concerned about food safety in the U.S. Each year food poisoning causes millions of people to get sick and thousands of deaths. Attorney Fred Pritzker has a national reputation in the area of food-borne illness lawsuits. He has been selected for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. For more information about Fred Pritzker, please see Food Poisoning: Lawyer and Attorney. Improving Food Safety in the U.S.
To improve food safety in the U.S. requires the following:

Food Safety Education
Better Food Safety Standards
Better Food Safety Enforcement
Support Food Safety Advocacy Groups

Even though some cases of food-borne illness seem to be unavoidable, most of them are preventable. Simple hygiene and cooking guidelines are the most important ways to prevent food-borne illness for you and your family in the short-term, but there's much more that can be done to help prevent injury to yourself and others in the long-run. Taking action to improve food safety is not as complicated as you might suspect. Read on for some easy ways to take action against food-borne illness. Learn about preventing food poisoning with proper produce handling and preparation.

Food Safety Education
To what temperature should you cook your meat to make sure it is safe? Which foods are most prone to contamination? Who is most at risk to the severe effects of food-borne illness? Although you can find food-borne illness information on websites such as this one, most people don't know the answers to these questions. Education about how to eat and cook safely is the cornerstone of safe food practices. You are already taking step one in safe food education: making sure you and your family are knowledgeable about how to prevent food-borne illness.

There's more you can do with food-borne illness education. Encourage your friends and acquaintances to familiarize themselves with the basics of food safety and the importance of preventing food-borne illness. Help organize food safety education campaigns in your local schools, newspapers and religious institutions.

For food poisoning prevention information that includes food safety tips, please see the following:

Better Food Safety Standards
Proper food safety standards are the first line of defense against food-borne illness in the U.S. The food safety regulations laid down by the government require a minimum standard to be followed by the people who make and prepare our food. For the most part, the standards now in place provide a solid foundation for food safety. But there is always room for improvement. Writing letters to your elected representatives stating your support of strict safety standards will help keep our food safe.

Better Food Safety Enforcement
While strict standards are crucial to food safety in the U.S., they are nearly worthless without adequate food safety enforcement. The U.S. has a substantial enforcement system to help ensure safety, but much of the burden of enforcing standards is left to the people who make or prepare the food. And, although there are stiff penalties for failure to maintain proper food safety, in some cases the penalties do not seem to be stiff enough. Many of the food recalls and outbreaks of food-borne illness seem to be connected time and again with the same companies. In other words, these firms are not properly enforcing safety standards, and the penalty for enforcement failure is insufficient motivation to maintain safety. You can write to your elected representatives to tell them you believe enforcement agencies should be granted larger budgets and greater powers to keep our food safe. And let them know that you think the price of endangering the food supply should be too high to stay in business.

Food Safety Advocacy Groups
Courageous and vigilant food safety advocacy groups are already working to prevent illness for you and your family. You can help improve food safety by supporting these groups financially and getting involved with their efforts to help prevent illness. Here are a few groups that champion food safety:

S.T.O.P.- Safe Tables Our Priority: is a nonprofit consisting of food borne illness victims, their families and friends, and individuals and organizations concerned about the threat of emerging microorganisms in our food supply.
Center for Science in the Public Interest- This site has an excellent food advocacy section. CSPI is a nonprofit organization funded through private grants, donations, and newsletter subscriptions. They do not accept corporate or government grants.
Eric's Echo - This is an informative Web site devoted to the owner's son, who died as a result of an E. coli infection.

Contact Pritzker | Ruohonen
If you or someone you love has become seriously ill due to a food-borne illness, contact Pritzker | Ruohonen for a free consultation. To contact us call toll-free 1-888-377-8900, e-mail us at info@pritzkerlaw.com, or fill in our online form.

Free Case Consultation

Firm News

Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Taste of Chicago

Pritzker | Ruohonen attorney Rich Ruohonen is managing attorney for our Taste of Chicago / Pars Cove Salmonella cases, which involve a Salmonella outbreak with over 180 confirmed cases of Salmonella. Contact Rich Ruohonen regarding these cases at 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free).

E. coli Wrongful Death Settlement

We have recently settled a number of E. coli cases involving victims of various E. coli outbreaks, including a wrongful death claim.

Attorney Rich Ruohonen Has Article Published

Rich Ruohonen's recently published article addresses effective cross examination of the defence neuropsychologist.

Foodborne Outbreaks

Georgia E. coli - Barbecue Pit Lawsuit
Ohio E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Michigan E. coli Outbreak: Ground beef may have sickened people in both Michigan and Ohio.
Multi-State Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak: Tomatoes have sickened hundreds of people throughout the United States.
Minnesota Preschool E. coli: Outbreak associated with Wonder World Preschool in Slayton, Minnesota.
Washington E. coli Lettuce: Outbreak associated with commercial romaine lettuce.
Texas Salmonella Saintpaul - Tomato: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
New Mexico Salmonella Saintpaul Linked to Tomatoes: Outbreak most likely caused by Roma, red plum and/or red round tomatoes.
Nebraska E. coli Outbreak Associated with Roast Beef
Hepatitis A - La Mesa California Chipotle - Lawyer and Lawsuit: San Diego County hepatitis A outbreak
Salmonella - Puffed Rice Recall and Puffed Wheat Recall: Malt-O-Meal cereal recall.
Minnesota Salmonella - Milford Valley Farms Lawsuit: Frozen chicken product.
Salmonella - Agropecuaria Montelibano Cantaloupe Recall: Cantaloupe from Honduras.
Salmonella Litchfield Cantaloupe Lawsuit: Recall of Dole, Chiquita and other brands.
Honolulu E. coli - Sekiya's Lawsuit and Lawyer: E. coli associated with Hawaii restaurant.
Alabama E. coli - Church Supper: Outbreak associated with Eastern Shore Baptis Church.
E. coli - Rochester Meat Company Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef recall.
E. coli - Jeno's and Totino's Pizza Recall and Lawsuit: Pepperoni on pizza.
E. coli - Topps Recall and Lawsuit: Hamburger patty recall.
E. coli - Cargill/Sam's Club Recall and Lawsuit: Ground beef patty recall.
Listeria - Whittier Farms Recall and Lawsuit: Miscarriage and death linked to milk.
Hawaii Salmonella - Tuna Recall and Lawsuit
Salmonella - Safeway Ground Beef Recall and Lawsuit