Food Poisoning and Leftovers
We have had several people ask us what to do about leftovers when they suspect the food has made them sick. Leftovers should be saved in the refrigerator. In the recent E. coli outbreak linked to Dole bagged salad, one of the victims still had some of the salad in his refrigerator. That leftover salad was the "smoking gun" health investigators needed to confirm that the source of the E. coli outbreak was the Dole lettuce.
To have a food poisoning lawsuit, the source of the food poisoning has to be determined. Foodborne pathogens have specific genetic markers. Laboratory analysis of contaminated stools determines the specific pathogen that caused the outbreak. Investigators then look for food contaminated with the same, genetically-specific pathogen, the "smoking gun." If found, that food product is considered the source of the outbreak.