NATIONWIDE – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an urgent public health warning regarding shrimp sold at several major supermarket chains, including Albertsons, Safeway, and Lucky. The shrimp is under investigation for potential radioactive contamination, and consumers are being warned not to eat the product.

According to a report from ABC News, the contamination is believed to be linked to the source of the shrimp. The long-term health effects of ingesting radioactive material can be severe, including an increased risk of cancer and other serious illnesses.

This alarming situation highlights the critical responsibility that food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have to ensure their products are safe for consumption. When they fail in this duty, they can be held legally and financially responsible for the harm they cause.

Legal Analysis: Your Rights When a Food Product Makes You Sick

When you buy food from a grocery store, you have a right to expect that it is safe to eat. A case involving contaminated food, especially with a substance as dangerous as radioactive material, falls under the legal area of product liability.

In California, there are several ways to hold the companies in the supply chain accountable in a personal injury lawsuit:

• Strict Product Liability: In most contaminated food cases, we can use the standard of “strict liability.” This means we do not have to prove that the company was negligent, only that the product was sold in a defective or contaminated condition and that it caused you harm. This is a powerful tool for victims.
• Negligence: We can also prove that the company was negligent. Did the supplier fail to test its products properly? Did the grocery store continue to sell the shrimp after being notified of the risk? Any failure to act as a reasonably careful company would under the circumstances is a form of negligence.
• Breach of Warranty: When a company sells a food product, there is an “implied warranty” that it is safe for human consumption. Selling contaminated food is a clear breach of that warranty.

The responsible parties in a case like this can include the original seafood supplier, the distributor, and the grocery store that sold the final product. An experienced attorney will investigate every step of the supply chain to hold all negligent corporations accountable. In the tragic event that the consumption of a contaminated product leads to a fatality, the surviving family has the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

If you believe you have been sickened or harmed by a contaminated food product, it is critical to seek medical attention immediately and to preserve any remaining product as evidence.

Contact Manoukian Law for a free and confidential consultation.