Who to Contact if You Find Something in Your Food

Everyday, people experience the uncomfortable aftermath of food poisoning whether they are eating out at a restaurant, a hotel, or in someone’s home kitchen. Symptoms of food poisoning can range from mildly unpleasant to critically dangerous resulting in a trip to the emergency room for treatment. 

Understanding how to recognize the common symptoms of food poisoning can help to potentially save someone’s life. If you suffer harm, consult a Vacaville injury attorney. 

Know the Symptoms of Food Poisoning

Some of the most common symptoms and side effects of food poisoning include but are not limited to:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain or cramps
• Fever

The Centers for Disease Control outlines when it is a good idea to seek medical help for food poisoning. Many people only experience a mild illness, but others might need to be hospitalized due to infection or severity of the food poisoning.

Treatment and Effects of Food Poisoning

Dealing with the treatment and effects of food poisoning can be a challenging and stressful ordeal. One of the most common side effects of food poisoning is dehydration. As your body works to expel the source of the poisoning, people often lose a lot of fluids. Many times, they are unable to stay hydrated and keep down any sort of liquids, but replacing lost fluids and electrolytes is one of the most important treatments. 

There are also some over-the-counter medicines that can help to relieve the symptoms, but these may not work in severe cases.

Report Food Poisoning

If you believe that you have consumed food at a restaurant or other public venue in San Francisco that may have given you food poisoning or a food related illness, there are steps you can take to report the incident. Notifying the public health department or other local organizations can help prevent other people from getting sick as well. 

The city of San Francisco has a website that outlines the details of how to report a food-related incident. 

• If less than three people are sick, you can call 415-701-2311 to report the incident. If more than three people are sick, they request that you call the Disease Control Center at 415-554-2830.
• Once the incident has been reported a team will investigate to find the cause and source of the food poisoning. This might mean looking at a specific restaurant or food distributor. 
• When the source of the issue has been identified, there might be a recall of a certain food or a pause in distribution from a specific company until the issue is resolved. 

Taking the extra step to report that food you consumed in a venue that is serving to the public is important and encouraged. By alerting the authorities that you experienced food poisoning, regardless of how severe it may have been, you are giving them the opportunity to prevent other people from getting sick at the same establishment. 

Investigating Problems with Food

One of the first steps that an investigator will typically take when looking into an issue with food is to visit the restaurant or the venue where the reported incident took place. They will attempt to talk to workers at the establishment to see if there is any information that they will share. If the issue turns out to be with the handling of food, the investigator might require the employees to complete a food handling education course. 

Food poisoning is not always an isolated incident. Oftentimes, many people will call in and report that they became ill at the same establishment within a short time period from one another. They should all consult with a food poisoning attorney.

In some cases, there is an outbreak of food poisoning or food-related illness, and in these situations, the investigation becomes especially important. Specialists will attempt to:

• Determine what food was linked to the food poisoning outbreak.
• Figure out how that food was handled before it was served.
• Talking to any of the workers who might be ill or who may have handled the food that caused the outbreak.

Contact a Vacaville Food Poisoning Attorney

If you have found a dangerous material in your food or if you have experienced food poisoning, an experienced Vacaville personal injury attorney can help outline your options for recourse. At The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc. our team is dedicated to working with those who have suffered from food poisoning and the aftermath. 

Contact us today online to book your free initial consultation or call us at 415-433-0449 to learn more about how we can help with the legal process.