Tragedy strikes mother-to-be after she eats contaminated spinach, now she's filing a lawsuit
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Members, please be aware that this story contains discussions of child loss. Please read at your discretion.
For expectant parents, losing an unborn child is devastating and often traumatising. So much of what they hoped and prepared for is gone, including the dream of holding their child in their arms and watching them grow.
We can only imagine the grief this couple went through when they lost their baby just a few weeks before Christmas – all because of an unfortunate case of food poisoning.
A woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against salad manufacturer Fresh Express and the grocery store chain Fresh Grocer, alleging that her unborn child passed away after she consumed baby spinach tainted with listeria.
According to a pregnant woman, eating spinach tainted with listeria caused the death of her unborn child. Credit: Portland Press Herald/Portland Press Herald via Getty. (Stock photo)
At the time of her COVID-19 diagnosis at Abington Memorial Hospital on December 11, Mecca Shabazz was 30 weeks and 6 days along in her pregnancy, according to the lawsuit.
At this point, it had been determined that the pregnancy was developing normally, so the woman was allowed to return home but was required to remain in quarantine.
While Shabazz was at home, she drank a smoothie made using Fresh Express baby spinach that she had gotten from a Fresh Grocer store in Philadelphia.
But on December 15, she started bleeding and had painful contractions that sent her to the emergency room.
After putting her through a series of tests and physical examinations, they discovered that her unborn child no longer had any detectable foetal movement or heartbeat. Soon after, it was confirmed that the baby had passed away.
According to the case, which was submitted late last month in Philadelphia County, an autopsy revealed that the baby's cause of death was maternal-foetal listeriosis.
The parents have accused a grocer and a produce company of being reckless, careless and negligent. Credit: Red Nose Australia. (Stock photo)
Fresh Express issued a recall on its salad items on December 20 due to the possibility of listeria monocytogenes being present at the facility in Streamwood, Illinois where the salads were prepared.
According to the Mayo Clinic, listeria can cause dangerous infections in pregnant women, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria infections are 10 times more likely to occur in pregnant women, and the bacteria is known to result in stillbirths and miscarriages.
According to statements made by Shabazz and Lateef Young's attorney Julianna Burdo on Wednesday, the couple are completely and utterly devasted.
'They were beyond excited. They had purchased a crib and blankets and had baby showers,' Burdo said. 'They will never recover from this loss.'
The store where the product was purchased, Fresh Express, and Chiquita Brands International, of which Fresh Express is a part, are being sued by Shabazz and Young for personal injury, pain and suffering, and wrongful death.
'The industry is so heavily regulated that these food-processing and food-manufacturing facilities only produce products that are safe for consumption,' Burdo said. 'So the only way to have produced and disseminated a product that contains listeria is to have violated and departed from these strict industry standards.'
Listeria can seriously harm pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and individuals with weaker immune systems. Credit: CDC (Stock photo)
Burdo says that the unborn baby had reached 30 weeks. The 24-week mark is usually a good way to tell when a baby could live outside of the uterus.
'This baby could have been born the day before this spinach was consumed and survived and thrived,' Burdo said.
She said her firm, Wapner Newman, 'is dedicated to giving this unborn, full-term child a voice, and telling these companies who manufactured and distributed contaminated food that it must not be allowed, must not go unnoticed and must not happen to any other baby'.
Hearing that a parent has lost a child is heartbreaking. We hope that the mum and her husband are able to find a resolution and peace.
If you are going through a difficult time, you can reach Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
We have included some ways to minimise your risk of contracting listeria:
For expectant parents, losing an unborn child is devastating and often traumatising. So much of what they hoped and prepared for is gone, including the dream of holding their child in their arms and watching them grow.
We can only imagine the grief this couple went through when they lost their baby just a few weeks before Christmas – all because of an unfortunate case of food poisoning.
A woman has filed a product liability lawsuit against salad manufacturer Fresh Express and the grocery store chain Fresh Grocer, alleging that her unborn child passed away after she consumed baby spinach tainted with listeria.
According to a pregnant woman, eating spinach tainted with listeria caused the death of her unborn child. Credit: Portland Press Herald/Portland Press Herald via Getty. (Stock photo)
At this point, it had been determined that the pregnancy was developing normally, so the woman was allowed to return home but was required to remain in quarantine.
While Shabazz was at home, she drank a smoothie made using Fresh Express baby spinach that she had gotten from a Fresh Grocer store in Philadelphia.
But on December 15, she started bleeding and had painful contractions that sent her to the emergency room.
After putting her through a series of tests and physical examinations, they discovered that her unborn child no longer had any detectable foetal movement or heartbeat. Soon after, it was confirmed that the baby had passed away.
According to the case, which was submitted late last month in Philadelphia County, an autopsy revealed that the baby's cause of death was maternal-foetal listeriosis.
The parents have accused a grocer and a produce company of being reckless, careless and negligent. Credit: Red Nose Australia. (Stock photo)
Fresh Express issued a recall on its salad items on December 20 due to the possibility of listeria monocytogenes being present at the facility in Streamwood, Illinois where the salads were prepared.
According to the Mayo Clinic, listeria can cause dangerous infections in pregnant women, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria infections are 10 times more likely to occur in pregnant women, and the bacteria is known to result in stillbirths and miscarriages.
According to statements made by Shabazz and Lateef Young's attorney Julianna Burdo on Wednesday, the couple are completely and utterly devasted.
'They were beyond excited. They had purchased a crib and blankets and had baby showers,' Burdo said. 'They will never recover from this loss.'
The store where the product was purchased, Fresh Express, and Chiquita Brands International, of which Fresh Express is a part, are being sued by Shabazz and Young for personal injury, pain and suffering, and wrongful death.
'The industry is so heavily regulated that these food-processing and food-manufacturing facilities only produce products that are safe for consumption,' Burdo said. 'So the only way to have produced and disseminated a product that contains listeria is to have violated and departed from these strict industry standards.'
Listeria can seriously harm pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and individuals with weaker immune systems. Credit: CDC (Stock photo)
Burdo says that the unborn baby had reached 30 weeks. The 24-week mark is usually a good way to tell when a baby could live outside of the uterus.
'This baby could have been born the day before this spinach was consumed and survived and thrived,' Burdo said.
She said her firm, Wapner Newman, 'is dedicated to giving this unborn, full-term child a voice, and telling these companies who manufactured and distributed contaminated food that it must not be allowed, must not go unnoticed and must not happen to any other baby'.
Hearing that a parent has lost a child is heartbreaking. We hope that the mum and her husband are able to find a resolution and peace.
If you are going through a difficult time, you can reach Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
We have included some ways to minimise your risk of contracting listeria:
- Cook raw animal products thoroughly, such as beef, pork, or chicken.
- Before eating raw vegetables, you should thoroughly wash them.
- Keep raw meats away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods as well as from vegetables.
- Don't drink raw milk or eat foods made with raw milk.
- After handling raw foods, wash your hands, knives, and cutting boards.
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