Quality Control Issues With Prepackaged Foods, Personal Injuries, And You

Most food processing and packaging plants take great pains to produce healthy, safe products fit for human consumption. Quality control measures include random sampling and testing, but since these factories cannot test and sample absolutely every tray, can, or jar that leaves their factories, there is the occasional mishap or missed product with something foreign in it.

Considering the FDA's legal limits for foreign objects in your food, it is easy to see how these things will happen. While the government may argue that bones, nutshells, bugs, and other "natural" objects will not cause you harm, that does not mean that these foreign objects will not cause you harm. In fact, people allergic to nuts or shellfish can become very sick, hard objects can break or chip teeth, and even poison people if the bug or animal parts are otherwise poisonous. If you have recently encountered a foreign object in your food that has caused you harm, you need to save the object (if possible), and then seek out personal injury attorney services.

What Happens Next

If you managed to save the offending bit of object in your food or drink, take it with you in a baggy to the initial meeting with a lawyer. He/she will want to have it tested to verify that it was indeed found in your food and verify exactly what the object is. From there, your lawyer can begin to build a personal injury lawsuit. 

Your Medical Records

If you had to seek medical attention after the foreign object in your food/drink made you sink, broke a tooth, or caused you harm, bring those records with you when you visit the lawyer. Your lawyer needs the related medical records in order to show how you were affected by this foreign object. He/she also needs the records to determine how much compensation for which you are entitled to sue.

Researching Quality Control Issues with a Particular Food Company

If there are a lot of complaints with a particular food processing and packaging company, these reports exist on the FDA's reporting website for food and drink with confirmed foreign objects, and food recalls pages. Find listings of recalls and complaints with the company that produced the food or drink that you consumed that contained a foreign object. Print this off and bring it to your lawyer as well. He/she may find it very useful in pursuing a case against that company.