Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog
Many residents of Washington like to include organic foods and supplements in their diets to avoid potentially unhealthy chemicals, but one organic supplier has had to issue a recall due to contamination from a living source. Products in Garden of Life’s Raw Meal powdered shake and meal replacement powder line have been connected with cases of Salmonella virchow infection in several states.
The product recall started on Jan. 29 and was expanded to include over two dozen additional products on Feb. 12. According to Garden of Life, organic moringa leaf powder from a specific supplier was the likely source of the contamination, and the company plans to reformulate all Raw Meal recipes to omit the leaf.
Health officials in Minnesota advised against consumption of any powders bought on or after Nov. 1 of last year, and they also cautioned not to use any powders with best-used-by dates of September 2017. The officials specified that all of the infected consumers at the time of the report had either used a vanilla or chocolate variety of a Raw Meal product.
Food manufacturers have a particular duty to ensure that their products are safe for human consumption, and issuing a prompt and effective recall is critical after a bad product is released. When contaminated ingredients are allowed in the manufacturing process and left on shelves, the results can range from aching stomachs to widespread debilitation and even death.
After suffering a serious illness from a defective food product, a person might seek legal counsel to help offset the costs of medical care and any long-term issues. In some cases, many people may fall ill due to a negligent manufacturer, and an attorney may represent them all simultaneously in a class action.