In the dozens of large and small E. coli outbreaks that have occurred over the years, I’ve never heard of a substantial settlement for death or injury. But yesterday, Excel Meat and others agreed to pay the family of a girl who died from E. coli $13.5 million. The saddest thing is that the girl didn’t even eat meat during her fatal meal, the watermelon she ate at a Sizzler restaurant apparently touched some contaminated beef.
What’s interesting here is that Excel tried to deny responsibility for this death, but modern DNA fingerprinting ultimately made the link clear. I bet in the wake of this substantial settlement, meat companies will get more vigilant about not letting contaminated meat ship from their facilities. The days of waiting months to announce a beef recall, and announcing it only after nearly all the meat has been eaten, may be coming to an end. Link.
