Questions
Answers, without the hedging
These are the questions people actually ask us, answered as plainly as the subject allows. Where the honest answer is "it depends on your state," we say that rather than guessing.
About this service
Is this a law firm?
No. Food Injury is a free service that connects people to independent attorneys handling foodborne illness and food product cases. We don't practice law, don't give legal advice, and nobody here is your lawyer.
What does it cost?
Nothing. We're paid a flat advertising fee by the firms we refer to. It doesn't vary with your case value and never comes out of a recovery.
I'm sick right now. What's the one thing to do?
Ask your doctor for a stool culture and ask that the organism be identified and the isolate retained. Then report it to your local health department. Both are free, both take minutes, and neither can be done once you've recovered.
Will you tell me if I don't have a case?
Yes, and it happens often in this category. Most food poisoning isn't provable and most claims aren't economically viable. We'd rather tell you that than keep you waiting on a callback.
Will you sell my information?
We share your submission with the law firm we refer you to and the providers who transmit and store it. We don't sell it to marketing lists or data brokers, and you can revoke consent to be contacted at any time.
Everything else, by page
Each of these is answered on the page that covers it, in context.
- I didn't get a stool test and I'm better now. Do I have a case?I got sick after eating out
- The restaurant offered me a gift card and a refund. Should I take it?I got sick after eating out
- Can I sue if only I got sick and nobody else did?I got sick after eating out
- How long do I have?I got sick after eating out
- Should I join a class action?I was part of an outbreak
- The recall came out after I got sick. Does that help?I was part of an outbreak
- I don't have the packaging or the receipt.I was part of an outbreak
- The menu had a disclaimer saying they can't guarantee against cross-contact. Does that end it?An allergen wasn't disclosed
- I didn't use my EpiPen and went to the ER instead. Does that hurt me?An allergen wasn't disclosed
- My child had the reaction at school or camp.An allergen wasn't disclosed
- The manager took it and said they'd look into it. What now?There was something in my food
- I chipped a tooth but wasn't otherwise hurt. Worth pursuing?There was something in my food
- It was a bone in a chicken product. Is that a case?There was something in my food
- My doctor said testing wouldn't change my treatment.Proving which meal did it
- Is reporting to the health department going to get the restaurant in trouble?Proving which meal did it
- How long after eating can food poisoning show up?Proving which meal did it
- I don't know where the food came from before the restaurant.Who's actually liable
- The restaurant blames their supplier.Who's actually liable
- Does an A-grade health inspection protect them?Who's actually liable
- Can I recover the cost of the meal and my missed work?What these claims are worth
- How long do these take?What these claims are worth
- My child got HUS. What should I be doing?What these claims are worth
- There's no recall for what I ate. Does that mean I have no case?Checking for a recall
- I already ate it and threw the package away.Checking for a recall
- The company offered me a coupon or a refund after the recall.Checking for a recall
Your question isn't here
Ask it directly in the case review form. Someone reads every one.
Free · No obligation · About 90 seconds