I am still in New Orleans. I must admit, I expected a bit more devastation here in the downtown area from Katrina, but things looked great  – especially in the French Quarter.  We made some slow progress in talking to ConAgra, its lawyers and insurers about the status of the Peanut Butter cases.  Hopefully, at some point ConAgra can put the interests of its customers at the front of any discussions. During one of the breaks today, I took a call from Dinesh Ramde, AP Business Writer of Milwaukee:

More than a year after their two children were severely sickened by E. coli, a southeastern Wisconsin couple has settled their federal lawsuit with four spinach companies. Details of the settlement were secret, but in court documents filed in 2006, lawyers for the family asked for more than $75,000 plus court costs.

A family lawyer said Tuesday that parents Neil and Anne Grintjes of the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield are just glad the matter is resolved. "They’re happy to put it behind them, and the companies are happy to put it behind them as well," said William Marler, an attorney at Marler Clark in Seattle. "The Grintjes are pleased at the result."

Of the 204 people sickened by the tainted greens, Marler said about 100 have brought a lawsuit. His firm is handling 83 cases and has resolved 51 within the past few months.

We have more work to do on Spinach, and other leafy greens, but then again, think about all the other food items that are causing all of us and our families so much grief – Peanut Butter, Pot Pies, Hamburger, etc.  Makes you wonder what you can or can not eat.  We have much to do to make food corporations be responsible.