Just Transparency post: Tragic food poisoning case highlights lax federal oversight of produce growers
In his latest Just Transparency post, Jeffrey N. Catalano writes that a disturbing Boston Globe Spotlight article points to a passive and chronically understaffed Food and Drug Administration that is needlessly putting consumers who eat leafy green vegetables at risk of serious injury from food poisoning.
The article describes the heartbreaking case of a young Canadian boy left legally blind and unable to speak or move after consuming a small amount of romaine lettuce on a family vacation to Disneyland in October 2018. The child was struck with the severe case of food poisoning as part of a multi-state E. coli outbreak caused by contaminated romaine lettuce grown in California.
In the face of mounting problems with how lettuce is grown and distributed, the FDA has largely remained passive and even protective of food growers, according to the Globe article.
“The FDA must and can do better to protect consumers from ever getting infected in the first place from the dangerous toxins that can contaminate vegetables,” Mr. Catalano writes.
Mr. Catalano, a partner at the firm, represents victims of catastrophic injuries, including those resulting from food poisoning. He has been selected to the Best Lawyers in America directory for personal injury and product liability litigation (plaintiffs) for six consecutive years (2015-20). He has been chosen as a New England Super Lawyer each year since 2009.