Since every living thing on the planet requires nourishment to survive, unsafe food products are of interest to everyone in Illinois. Our nation is a large system and the production and distribution of food is a huge industry. As with any large system, mistakes are bound to happen in the food industry resulting in defective and potentially harmful products released for public consumption.
If you pay attention to the media, you already know that many food items were recalled in 2016. However, it is impossible to provide an exact figure in a small blog post. Instead, this post will list three of the largest food product recalls of 2016.
Chicken: Unfortunately, chicken is highly susceptible to spoilage and contamination. Last year, over 5 million pounds of chicken nuggets and tenders underwent a recall due to foreign contaminants. Worsening the matter, other forms of pre-cooked chicken were also recalled because of customer complaints stating the chicken was not fully cooked.
Cookie Dough: After a manufacturer realized its cookie dough may have been contaminated with listeria, a huge recall ensued. Unfortunately, the recall trickled down to other companies that used the cookie dough in their products. One of the most tragic casualties of this massive recall was cookie dough ice cream.
Frozen Items: Listeria was once again the culprit in the recall of more than 350 frozen vegetable, fruit and prepared food products. The Food and Drug Administration reported the death of three people and the hospitalization of nine people who consumed the contaminated products.
It is fair to assume that most food products are safe for consumption. However, if you became ill or lost a loved one because of unsafe food, you may have grounds for a products liability lawsuit. Your best course of action going forward is to talk over your situation with a personal injury lawyer.
Source: Time.com, “What Not to Eat: 9 of the Biggest Food Recalls of 2016,” Megan Leonhardt, accessed Jan. 17, 2017