The action was filed against Simply Thick, Thermo Pac, Ameriqual Group, and HJ Heinz Company.
The Addonizio complaint alleges that SimplyThick was contaminated as a result of a manufacturing problem at the Stone Mountain, Georgia plant.
Ms Addonizio’s baby was fed SimplyThick at the hospital and later discharged, because the unsuspecting doctors and nurses had no idea that the food thickener was potentially dangerous for the infant.
As a result of the ingestion of SimplyThick, Ms Addonizio’s baby, and other babies fed the same food thickener, suffered from a potentially fatal condition called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC).
NEC is a rare disease in children who have been discharged from the hospital. It causes inflammation and death of intestinal tissue.
NEC has a mortality rate of 25%, meaning it kills one out of every four victims. NEC can cause severe life-long impairment in children who survive it.
Ms Fleishman stated that “there is an enormous concern when manufacturers fail to manufacture food products in a safe manner, consistent with the FDA’s requirements.
“We, as consumers, expect that products, like SimplyThick, which are intended to help people who cannot swallow, will be safe when they are sold to consumers for use. Defendants’ alleged failure to keep contaminated products off the market – if proven to be true – is unconscionable.”
“There are no words to explain how much suffering this has caused our little girl and how much despair and helplessness we as her family have endured,” added Ms Addonizio.
The complaint charges that Simply Thick and the other defendants failed to properly thermally process and test the safety of its product for use in premature infants. As a result, a baby suffered horrendous, painful and traumatic, life-threatening injuries and continues to be at risk for long-term medical problems.
Source: Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
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