OFT Lawyers File First Lawsuit Against Wawona Packing in Outbreak Linked to Peaches

Posted by: OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers

OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers has filed the first lawsuit arising out of the ongoing outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections. Public health investigators have linked the outbreak to contaminated peaches sold under the Prima Wawona brand from California-based Wawona Packing Co., LLC. The suit was filed on behalf of a four-year old girl and her parents in federal court for the District of Minnesota.

The outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis has sickened at least 78 people in 12 states, according to the CDC. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, 23 Minnesotans have tested positive for this strain of Salmonella in recent weeks. Though nearly one-third of the reported infections have been in Minnesota, public health authorities in Michigan, Iowa, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia have reported multiple confirmed cases of Salmonella associated with the Wawona peaches.

OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers Have the Experience to Seek Justice and Reform

OFT Law is driven by a commitment to making the food supply safer by bringing claims for those who are sickened by foodborne pathogens like Salmonella. Peaches, in particular, can be contaminated with Salmonella at many points in the growing and processing process. Salmonella attorney Brendan Flaherty remarks that “what a lot of people don’t know is that even fresh peaches are  handled extensively before they reach store shelves. From irrigation to hydro-cooling and washing and from sorting to packing, peaches move along mechanized processing lines. All of these contact points pose a risk of Salmonella contamination if the processing facility is not properly sanitized. Salmonella can even grow within fruit, especially as if it is stored at room temperature—like peaches usually are.”

Flaherty has built his legal career on handling food poisoning cases associated with fresh fruit. For example, he previously represented several individuals who contracted Listeria from caramel apples and Salmonella from fresh-cut melons, winning millions of dollars for his sickened clients. He says the industry needs to do better. “I’ve personally seen the human cost of these outbreaks.  We know that the outbreaks are preventable and yet they keep happening year after year. It is time for every major fresh fruit producer to take this threat seriously and incorporate the safety systems that are commonplace in the production of other ready-to-eat foods.”

Like Flaherty, fellow OFT food safety lawyer Ryan Osterholm considers representing victims of food poisoning outbreaks his passion in life. According to Osterholm, “OFT Law exists to make the food we eat safer.Salmonella simply should not be part of the fresh fruit food supply.” Seasoned litigators, the legal team at OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers handles cases against food growers, processors, and retailers across the United States.

Contact us for a Free Consultation if You Have Been Sickened with Salmonella

With over four decades of combined experience, the lawyers at OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers have recovered millions on behalf of food poisoning victims. OFT is one of the largest national law firms committed to representing food poisoning victims. If you have been affected by this outbreak, contact OFT Law for a free consultation today. Call or text 888-828-7087 or email advice@oftlaw.com.