Marler Clark LLPAndy Weisbecker graduated from the University of Washington Law School in 1980 and clerked for two Washington Superior Court judges before he began practicing commercial and tort litigation in Seattle in 1983. Andy is one of the founding partners of Marler Clark, and has been involved in the litigation and resolution of claims brought on behalf of persons injured in food product liability incidents and foodborne illness outbreaks since the firm’s formation in 1998. His law practice is focused on the representation of minor children, and on the presentation and resolution of their personal injury claims.
Some kids have already started attending classes, and most will be back in school after Labor Day. Many parents may justifiably be wondering about recent efforts to improve the quality of the food served to their children in these schools.According to an Institute of Medicine Report released in October 2009, school-age children eat too many discretionary calories, too few fruits...
No one wants the 'Wedding Bell Blues.' [1]My son is getting married in mid-August, and the related preparations are starting to pick up a sense of greater urgency. I have been instructed not to interfere. Accordingly, I had a bit of time to follow up on the related morbid question that occurred to me; generally, what is the available CDC...
Recent media coverage focused on the failed attempt by Mead Johnson to introduce a chocolate flavored drink for toddlers. Mead Johnson launched its Enfagrow vanilla flavor in July, 2009, and chocolate was added in February, 2010. The product was for toddlers who have been weaned off breast milk or infant formula. The formula was especially designed for finicky toddlers who...
The thousands of soccer (football for the rest of the world) fans traveling to South Africa for the World Cup also get the opportunity for the next few weeks to sample the variety of foods available there, in addition to the action in the packed stadiums.The arrival in South Africa of football is credited to British military garrisons located around...
Residents of urban food deserts, typically low income neighborhoods, have to deal with limited healthy food choices, in addition to perhaps more obvious disadvantages of life there. A food desert is generally defined as a location where residents have to travel twice as far to get to the nearest supermarket as their peers in wealthier parts of town. A number...
Despite their vital role in the nation's public health system, state and local health departments have been hit hard by the recession and related budget cuts. Three recent studies provide evidence that the public health system is under severe and increasing pressure, as state and local health departments are asked to take on more responsibilities with fewer resources. The economic...
"Disease knows no boundaries and borders are porous to disease" [1]Much has been written about food safety issues related to the increasing sales of imported food in this country. What about the individual traveler, however, who is coming back to the United States, and wants to share a rare French cheese, or a homemade Italian salami, with family and friends? ...
During the past weeks, a few news stories have highlighted the distinctions between two different legislative approaches to address the issue of food safety. There is little question that the public is becoming increasingly aware and concerned about the safety and quality of food. The impetus is accordingly growing across the country to get the pending FDA Food Safety Modernization...
With the New Orleans Saints playing in the Super Bowl and Fat Tuesday just days away, it's quite likely that large amounts of raw oysters will be consumed over the next couple of days, maybe even the next couple of weeks, at various bars, restaurants, and parties. What is less certain is the level of risk to those consumers created...
Recently, while reviewing some documents, I found a Los Angeles Health Department 2005 ACDC Special Report captioned "Please Pass The Bacteria: An Outbreak of Clostridium Perfringens Associated With Catered Thanksgiving Meals". I liked the title, and thought I would explore the subject of food safety risks associated with catered meals. Thanksgiving is now long past us, but the topic may...
The costs of foodborne illness are substantial and significant. The November 18, 2009, Chicago Tribune article, "Food Poisoning: Source of E. coli illness often can't be found", effectively described the difficulty associated with finding the cause of most foodborne illnesses, and the seeming futility of public health agencies' efforts in tracing suspected pathogens to their source when a victim is...
In the October 30, 2009, edition of its weekly MMWR publication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on an investigation in November, 2008, when Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria was isolated in two different infants.[1] As recognized by the CDC, isolation of this organism from human specimens is rare and makes these cases notable. Cronobacter sakazakii (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii)...
"Classifications are theories about the basis of natural order, not dull catalogues compiled only to avoid chaos." Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life (1989), 98.Enterobacter sakazakii, a gram-negative bacillus, is a rare cause of bloodstream and central nervous system infections. In 2007, following extensive study, it was proposed that the original taxonomy of Enterobacter sakazakii be revised, to consist of five...
In "A Legal History of Raw Milk in the United States," an article for the Journal of Environmental Health, I begin with a quote from Winston Churchill: "There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies." Milk safety and the laws and regulations that have evolved to protect consumers from becoming ill from drinking milk produced...
"Class Action Foodborne-Illness Claims" focuses on the elements of a class action lawsuit, certification of a class, and gives reasoning to the decision behind bringing individual lawsuits on behalf of victims of foodborne illness: Because individuals injured in a foodborne illness outbreak sustain varying degrees of injuries, a class action lawsuit typically is not the most effective - or fair...
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