VANCOUVER — Slater Vecchio LLP has filed a class action lawsuit in British Columbia on behalf of all persons in Canada, excluding residents of Quebec, who purchased or claim to have fallen ill from consuming cantaloupes or other products that may have been contaminated with salmonella.
Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other health authorities have re-called Malichita and Rudy-brand cantaloupes, products containing these cantaloupes and other potentially contaminated products sold across Canada and the U.S. after traces of salmonella were identified in some of these products. According to the CBC, Mexico’s Health Department ordered the temporary closure of a melon-packing plant linked to the outbreak on Dec. 15, 2023.
The Public Health Agency of Canada announced on Dec. 22, 2023 that there have been 164 laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonella infections, 61 hospitalizations and seven deaths in Canada related to this outbreak. While healthy individuals may experience short-term symptoms from exposure to salmonella, young children, pregnant women, elderly individuals and those with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of severe and potentially fatal reactions.
Slater Vecchio LLP previously initiated a class action on behalf of residents of Quebec on Dec. 12, 2023 in response to this salmonella outbreak.
“Through these class actions, we strive to provide access to justice for Canadians who became sick from eating a contaminated product or who purchased a product that was rendered unfit for consumption due to its actual or potential contamination with salmonella,” says Anthony Vecchio, K.C., a partner at Slater Vecchio LLP.
