In 1998 when I started Marler Clark, Al Gore had only recently invented the internet (only kidding). Search Engines were new and Google was probably being run out of someone’s basement. Because I was in the middle of many of the earliest food poisoning battles, like Jack in the Box and Odwalla, I had
January 2008
Seattle Morning Sky
More on the E. coli “Uptick”
So, first some facts: the CDC reports that Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Based on a 1999 estimate, 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths occur in the United States each year. The CDC found also that from 1996-2004, the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infections decreased 42 percent. However…
Dr. Paul Effler, Hawaii State Epidemiologist Cracks the Case of Salmonella Ahi
Helen Altonn of the Hawaii Star Bulletin profiled crack Epidemiologist, Dr. Paul Effler, as he helped break the outbreak of a rare type of salmonella poisoning on Oahu that is linked to similar cases on the mainland. The case was cracked through the use of "genetic fingerprints" of the bacteria’s DNA. According to the Bulletin,…
Words not Usually Associated with Food Safety
My insomnia got the better of me this morning. So, as I cruised the Internet for tidbits on food poisoning I found a few interesting morsels. Lately I have been obsessing about how the safety of raw milk has become so tied up with anti-big Ag, save the family farm and the un-verified health benefits.…
Salmonella Turtles Attack in 33 States
As of January 18, 2008, a total of 103 cases with isolates indistinguishable from the outbreak strain had been reported to CDC from 33 states. Of the 100 patients for whom age information was available (median age: 7.5 years; range:…
I donate to International Food Safety Network, or is it “Barfblog?”
From the pages of "Barfblog:"
Fifteen years ago this week, Seattle lawyer Bill Marler and Kansas State University professor Douglas Powell were drawn into the food safety arena when the Washington Department of Health announced that Jack in the Box restaurants were the source of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Now, the
…
Food-Borne Illness Litigation
Advanced Strategies for Managing and Defending Food Contamination Claims
Thursday, February 28, 2008 to Friday, February 29, 2008
Millennium Resort, Scottsdale McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale, AZ, United States
Overview
2007 was the year of the recall, with E. coli contamination increasing sharply in 2007 over the previous two years. And it’s not just beef recalls and…
A Room With A View
Well, I got my Raw Milk T-shirt and Button
I also had the chance, sitting here at the Seattle Airport on my way to a status conference in the E. coli outbreak from the summer of 2006 involving a Wendy’s restaurant in Utah, to read again the full report on the Organic Pastures raw milk outbreak from the fall of 2006. It is…