Apple Cider Food Poisoning Lawsuit Filed in Maryland

A food poisoning lawsuit has been filed against the Maryland orchard that issued an apple cider recall last week due to potential E. coli contamination. 

The complaint was filed on Wednesday against Baugher’s Orchard by Nicholas Fickel, of Baltimore. According to the apple cider food poisoning lawsuit, Fickel visited Baugher’s Orchard and Farm on October 17, tried samples of the unpasteurized apple cider and then took some home. Fickel fell ill on October 21, suffering stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea.

Apple cider from Baugher’s Orchard was recalled after Maryland health officials linked it to at least seven cases of E. coli food poisoning, including three people who required hospitalization and one case of Hemolytic-Urenia Syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure caused by E. coli poisoning.

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the more common causes of food poisoning in the United States. When left untreated, it can lead to dehydration and potentially life-threatening illness. While most healthy adults recover from food poisoning caused by E. coli within a few weeks, young children and the elderly could be at risk for more severe illness. If the toxin enters the blood stream, E. coli could also lead to HUS.

Baugher’s Apple Cider is sold in Maryland and Pennsylvania in half-gallon and gallon containers. The recall affects all of the cider on the market. State and federal health officials have recommended that consumers do not drink the cider and dispose of it immediately in a way that prevents both humans and animals from drinking it. No other Baugher’s products are currently affected by the recall.