Grocer & Grind is facing legal action from 18 customers who suffered salmonella poisoning after eating at the Gold Coast caf in March last year.
According to the Courier Mail, more than 40 customers fell ill after eating contaminated eggs, suffering flu like symptoms including headaches, chronic diarrhoea, extreme tiredness, fever, stomach cramps and nausea. Some customers required hospitalisation and many suffered symptoms for weeks after eating at Grocer & Grind.
The caf has been fined $100,000 and it’s been announced that Shine Lawyers is acting for 18 individuals pursuing claims for damages.
“Through this action, we want to ensure our clients are fairly compensated for the physical, mental and financial loss they have suffered,” Shine Lawyers’ general manager, James Hickman said in comments issued to Hospitality. “On behalf of our clients, we also need to ensure they are reimbursed for the wages they’ve lost because of the incident as well as ensuring they are compensated should there be any damage to future earning capacity as a result of the injuries. It’s also important that our clients are fairly compensated for the pain and suffering they’ve endured as a result of the caf’s failures.
“Our clients should have been able to dine with their friends and family and walk away with their health intact. They should never have had to endure such pain and loss from a simple meal and the caf had a duty to ensure the food served to our clients was safe for consumption.”
The damages that Shine Lawyers is seeking to recover for each individual will depend on the harm and loss that they suffered as a result of their illness. Each claim is being pursued individually rather than as part of a group action.
The clients range from 20 to 55 years in age and are predominantly located in the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions, while others are from NSW and Victoria.