Maybe a legal jolt will prod Australians out of food safety complacency, but that’s especially challenging in a politico town like the national capital, Canberra.
ABC News reports 10 people are taking legal action against a Canberra bakery after allegedly contracting food poisoning.
It is believed raw egg in the mayonnaise was to blame for the salmonella outbreak which allegedly affected more than a dozen people.
Gerard Rees from Slater and Gordon in Canberra says some of those who were affected are seeking compensation for pain and suffering induced by the allegedly spoiled sandwiches.
"For five or six of the individuals I understand it ended up in hospital and a couple for relatively lengthy periods of time, weeks rather than days. So obviously people who were seriously affected would be entitled to far greater compensation for general damages or pain and suffering. Those who were off work as a result would be entitled to receive compensation for the time off that they had and if they had medical expenses they’re entitled to compensation for the medical expenses they’re paid as a direct result of the poisoning.
"What’ll happen is we’re investigating a claim in negligence. The claim will allege that Silo bakery was negligent in the way it stored and prepared the food. There is an ACT Health investigation underway as well that is looking into this. What we will do is look at each case individually."
At least 22 people were sickened with salmonella in Dec. at the Canberra bakery. In the aftermath of the outbreak, Silo co-owner Leanne Gray said officials have advised buying commercial mayonnaise or using pasteurized eggs. Her response: “That’s the foulest thing you’ve ever seen, so I said no, I won’t.”
A table of raw-egg related outbreaks in Australia is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/raw-egg-related-outbreaks-australia.