Bill Marler, food safety advocate and foodborne attorney since 1993, whose Seattle law firm, Marler Clark, has been contacted by victims of the recent E. coli O103 ground meat outbreak, and recent Salmonella outbreaks linked cut fruit and ground tuna, called today on those companies responsible to pay the medical bills and lost wages of all individuals who became ill.

“We know that at least 175 people became ill with E. coli infections after eating tainted beef and 130 became ill from eating either cut fruit or ground tuna. Unfortunately, those numbers will like rise in the coming week,”  Marler said.  “The cost of treating victims of E. coli and Salmonella infections can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, or in a severe case, even in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Marler continued. “These families need these companies to do more than promise to cooperate in the investigation into these outbreaks. They need to know that these companies intend to fulfill their corporate responsibility by looking out for their customers,” Marler added.

Marler noted that over the last two decades in other outbreak-situations, companies such as Chi-Chi’s, Dole, Jack in the Box, Con Agra, Odwalla and Sheetz advanced medical costs for outbreak victims whose illnesses were traced to their food products.

Dozens of times a year Bill speaks to industry and government throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, China and Australia on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses.  He is also a frequent commentator on food litigation and food safety on Marler Blog . Bill is also the publisher of Food Safety News.