Reporting Food Safety Issues and Unsafe Consumer Products
California Whistleblower Attorneys
A spate of new stories in the past few years has demonstrated that lax oversight, combined with companies putting profits before public safety, endangers all of us. It’s all too easy to find examples:
- Salmonella or E coli contamination of peanut butter, lettuce, spinach, sprouts;
- The slaughtering and sale of meat from sick or infected (downed) cattle or diseased poultry; and
- Lead, mercury, phthalates and other toxins in toys and infant products.
California leads the nation when it comes to protecting citizens from pollution and toxic materials. In 2007 California passed the Toxic Toys bill that banned six kinds of phthalates (plastics) that harm our children’s health in products such as baby bottles, toys and teething rings. Companies that import products from China, Korea or other foreign countries that lack safety standards are not immune. They can be held accountable for putting unsafe products on the U.S. market.
In 1986, California passed Proposition 65 — the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. People who have been exposed by businesses or property owners to chemicals known to cause cancer can bring legal action under Prop 65.
Who Typically Reports Unsafe Food or Consumer Products?
Anyone can report unsafe foods or unsafe products if they have first-hand knowledge of unsafe materials or fraudulent business or marketing practices. But you must report these violations in the proper manner.
The whistleblower attorneys at The Dolan Law Firm can help you bring your evidence to the government while protecting you in the process.
If you are ready to blow the whistle on consumer fraud, contact The Dolan Law Firm to talk confidentially and at no cost with a lawyer.
If the U.S. government is the purchaser of unsafe food or unsafe consumer products — for example, food used in school lunch programs or supplies sent to soldiers overseas — then you have a case under state qui tam law or the federal False Claims Act.
If you are reporting a health and safety violation that affects consumers, you may have the right to bring an action and to seek protection from retaliation. Talk with a lawyer who can explain the law in this area.
The Dolan Law Firm can handle a wide range of consumer safety cases, including:
- Mislabeling a food product as nut or allergen free when it is processed in a plant where nuts are present;
- Mislabeling a food product with a false expiration dates;
- Improperly identifying contents on a product, stating something is U.S.DA grade A when it is not;
- Falsifying information about whether a product is suitable for diabetics or contains sugar; and
- False labeling of a product as kosher, vegan or organic when they fail to meet certification requirements for that kind of labeling.
When public safety is at risk, contact the San Francisco law office of The Dolan Law Firm. All consumer protection and unsafe foods cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees until the case has been brought to court and you have received an award.
