The nation's schools were not promptly informed about contaminated peanut butter and other recently recalled foods, which resulted in hundreds of food poisoning cases in recent years, a new Government Accountability Office report finds. According to this news article in Consumer Reports, it took up to a week for states to find out what products had been recalled as a result of which the contaminated foods may have been served in federal lunch and breakfast programs in school cafeterias.

According to the GAO report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) failed to make sure that the states and schools got this important recall information in a timely manner. The government provides schools with 15 to 20 percent of the food served in cafeterias, which is eaten by about 30 million children nationwide. The GAO report specifically looked into product recalls involving peanut butter, beef and canned vegetables that were contaminated either by E. coli or salmonella bacteria.

Product Recall News Slow to Reach Schools

Apparently the only time schools were informed about food recalls right away was with a nationwide beef recall after a video showed poor treatment of cows in a California farm where sick cows were also slaughtered. Authorities were slow to get the word out on the peanut butter recall, which sickened 700 people and killed nine across the country. In that case, the manufacturer is being prosecuted for knowingly packaging and distributing peanut butter contaminated with salmonella. The GAO is recommending in its report that federal and state agencies work better and coordinate their efforts to make sure that these product recalls are carried out effectively in the nation's schools.

Food Poisoning Can Cause Serious Personal Injury

It is critical that government agencies get the word out promptly and effectively so that these dangerous and defective products do not affect our children. This is an extremely important issue because it concerns the safety and well-being of our children. It's also significant because we know that bacterial infections are easily transmitted to young children, the elderly and individuals with weakened immune systems. Both E. coli and salmonella infections have the potential to become lethal. The medical, hospitalization and long-term costs of these illnesses can be significant. These food-borne illnesses can also leave children with lifelong and long-term health problems.

If your child has been seriously injured because of contaminated food or food poisoning, please contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer, who will examine and evaluate your case and explain your legal rights and options. Whether the negligence is on the part of the food producers, manufacturers or distributors, it affects consumers. In such cases, the negligent parties should be held accountable. Innocent victims should not be the ones to suffer.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our source for the facts is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, please contact us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. Most of the best law firms will provide accident victims a free consultation.

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