Responsible for Food Safety: Food Manufacturers

Consumers have the right to expect that the foods they purchase are safe for consumption and free of dangerous pathogens. That’s why food manufacturers are required to meet minimum standards for sanitation and processing. Federal guidelines adopted outline the methods, equipment, facilities and controls that food manufacturers must use. But manufacturers too often deviate from these guidelines. When they do, serious outbreaks of foodborne illness can occur.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious complications from a foodborne illness, legal action can help you recover medical expenses and other costs related to your injury. Contact the experienced foodborne illness attorneys at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault for a free evaluation of your situation. Our attorneys have been advocating for food safety for more than 25 years. Contact us at 1-800-256-1050 or use our online contact form.

Microbes including bacteria, viruses and parasites cause most foodborne illnesses. Consumers usually cannot detect the presence of pathogens in food simply by smelling or tasting it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates the safety of many foods, has developed manufacturing guidelines to minimize food contamination and ensure the safety of our nation’s food supply.

Food manufacturers must design and construct their processing plants to promote sanitary production. They must meet federal standards for cleaning and sanitizing food production equipment, controlling pests and sanitizing all surfaces that food contacts. They must train and educate workers to maintain cleanliness and control the spread of foodborne diseases because inadequate employee hygiene is a leading cause of food contamination. Manufacturers also must store and transport food products to protect the food and food containers against contamination and deterioration.

In 2008, a Canadian food manufacturer failed to follow proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures while manufacturing hot dogs. This lack of oversight led to a deadly outbreak of Listeria that killed 21 people.

Materials used for food processing equipment should be easily cleanable and accessible. Yet cleaning chemicals can contaminate food through corrosion of food processing equipment and deposits of chemical residue carelessly left on equipment after cleaning. When highly acidic foods such as tomato products come into contact with metals, those materials can leach into the food, causing chemical contamination. Chemicals also can contaminate foods if pesticides are used indiscriminately in food plants to control rodents and insects, or if chemicals are spilled where foods are processed or stored.

If you have been seriously sickened by food that was contaminated, there are a number of parties that may be responsible for the contamination that caused your illness including food growers, food manufacturers and processors and food distributors. It is a complicated chain of responsibility from the field to the table, and you need an experienced attorney who understands the complexities of food production to represent you.

For nearly three decades, the food poisoning lawyers at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault have helped people harmed by contaminated foods or beverages, including clients in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and across the country. Contact the safe food advocates at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault at 1-800-256-1050 or use our online contact form.