The legal implications of food poisoning
The legal implications of food poisoning can be difficult to prove. It is almost impossible to trace which food product over the course of one’s regular eating patterns, caused the illness. Yet it can be done. And below are 6 ways food poisoning could leave you needing a lawyer.
1. The Hospital

2. The Bacteria
3. The Food

4. Personal Injury Claims
5. Product Liability
6. Breach of Warranty

How does the kitchen prevent such cases from happening?
- The food safety pillars must be maintained at all times.
- A documentation system must be developed to check the food safety pillars. Ensuring that these systems are in place and managed.
- Regular microbiological testing needs to be performed to ensure that foods are safe for human consumption.
- Besides this, the kitchen must also ensure that the supplied products, (raw ingredients), are of suitable quality and will not cause contamination during the production process.
Production facilities are required by law to have good food safety systems in place. Even the transport of food is also governed by law of many countries. We know that regular food poisoning outbreaks occur throughout the world, despite having systems in place.
One needs to ask, if it is a fault in the system itself or is it the management of that system, having loopholes that allow for mismanagement.
For further legal advice on the implications of food poisoning. The best stop are those that specialise in consumer and food law.
Hahn & Hahn attorneys specialise in such law and are currently involved in the Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, significantly known as the largest food poisoning outbreak in history.