Posted on 07/06/2007 1:32:34 PM PDT by Orange1998
Ind. couple accuses Veggie Booty maker of poisoning son
NEW YORK — The parents of an Indiana toddler have sued the makers of Veggie Booty, claiming the recalled snack poisoned their child.
The snack had been recalled last week after the company found a seasoning made with imported Chinese ingredients tested positive for bacteria.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York by David and Ashlee Allen, of Valparaiso, Ind., says their 18-month-old son, Xavier, ate a bag of Veggie Booty on May 20. It alleges that three days later, he had a bout of "severe, bloody diarrhea," and was diagnosed at a hospital with salmonella poisoning.
Robert's American Gourmet Inc. had a duty to make food "that was fit for human consumption ... and that was free of pathogenic bacteria," said the suit, which seeks unspecified damages. "The defendant breached this duty."
A telephone message left today with the company, based in Sea Cliff on Long Island, was not immediately returned.
The company recalled its Veggie Booty Snack Food last week after it was associated with 54 cases of salmonella poisoning in 17 states. Many of those sickened reported eating Veggie Booty.
The recall was expanded on Monday to include Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks Snack Food, since it uses the same seasoning. A company official said a spray-on seasoning made with imported Chinese ingredients that was used on both baked products had tested positive for bacteria.
The recall is only the latest in a growing series to involve Chinese-made products found to be tainted, defective or otherwise dangerous. In recent weeks, there have been recalls of Chinese tires, toy trains and toothpaste. The government also is blocking some Chinese farmed seafood imports because of widespread contamination by antibiotics and other drugs.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
I not sure I would feed my kid anything named “Veggie Booty” to begin with.
Yet you read that bag and Robert’s Gourmet snacks claim to use the highest quality natural ingredients. Stinking liars. Now that I know they support the chicoms, not a dime goes there way ever again.
I purchase nothing that is made in China unless I have no choice. If I do purchase products from China, they are normally tools that I can’t get some place else. I surely won’t buy food that comes from there and I check everything. I wear western boots and you can hardly find any made here in the U.S. You really have to look for U.S. made products but it’s worth the effort. As long as we keep supporting the Chinese, they’ll keep sticking it to us.
They poisoned our pets, and now our citizens, including toddlers.
What will it take to reverse our Most Favored Trade Status with China?
“what will it take?”
Only the poisoning of a few congresscreeps will have any effect. They care little about the little US citizen.
I’d ground him for three months if I even caught him playing with it.
I could not see the company winning a jury trial. If they saved a buck and gave a 18-month-old child a bout of “severe, bloody diarrhea,” the deliberations would be 30 seconds.
I’m happy to say that my favorite presidential candidate, Duncan Hunter, voted against the Most Favored Status for China, and Duncan Hunter is the strongest candidate speaking out against the China threat and unfair trade with China.
“What will it take to reverse our Most Favored Trade Status with China?”
Nothing soon. Bush locked us into being obsequeous to China via the financing of his tax “cuts.”
And the rest of the candidates are avoiding the issue like the plague.
WTH is Veggie Booty anyway?
I'm not sure a shootin' war would do it.
But then again, my senator is named Feinstein...
Bacteria ARE a natural ingredient, so natural you really have to work at keeping them out.
Mine is named Martinez, not much better.
LOL!
“I purchase nothing that is made in China unless I have no choice.”
Retailers are so underhanded and our government is so dedicated to Chinese trade that it is difficult to know whether you or your children are ingesting filthy Chinese imports. I asked the manager of our local Walmart store whether all their “Equate” over-the-counter products are imported from China because the label simply says, “Distributed by Walmart”. He said he didn’t know. That’s when I quit buying Walmart’s house brand vitamins and OTC medications.
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