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compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
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Many UK schools provide a tuck shop where children can spend pocket money on sweets, chocolate bars, fruit, vegetables and sandwiches. Generally, this is a fun way for the children to learn how to handle money, but sometimes the activity may result in a food poisoning compensation claim being made by a parent on behalf of their child.
Tuck shops are commonly opened before school, during break-times, after school, and some schools make it more of an event by putting on one large tuck shop event every term.
Known to learn through observation and recreation, young children enjoy "playing shop" and so tuck shops are often very popular. However, although many items on sale are not likely to cause food poisoning, sandwiches and school-made cakes could do harm if they have not been stored correctly or perhaps made with out-of-date ingredients by mistake.
While children are at school their parents expect teachers to act in locum parentis. Staff have a responsibility to look after the children in their care throughout the school day until parents come to collect their child at the end.
The role of school staff-members does not stop at the pupils' education, it extends to monitoring behaviour in the corridors and playground, and how the pupils' food is prepared.
Just like staff in a restaurant, café or hotel premises, a school's cafeteria workers, and anyone else involved in providing lunch and tuck shop food, have a duty of care towards those who will be eating the meals and snacks provided.
If a child contracts food poisoning they will at the very least experience discomfort and miss days of school while they recover, but the most severe cases of food poisoning can result in death.
Children's immune systems are still building up the resistance they will need to fight off infection and disease in later life, so, as a result, infants are unfortunately much more susceptible to food poisoning.
A child's immune system can be made stronger by feeding them healthy food, and experts also believe that not over-sheltering a child from potentially dirty environments will also help their immune system to develop.
Children who are kept in very clean environments might never need to fight off illness, and, as a consequence, in adulthood they often fall ill because their defences were not built up as an infant. Nevertheless, food poisoning is not an illness which children should be exposed to, and both school staff and parents should be aware of the causes, symptoms and treatment.
Receiving food poisoning compensation
If your child has suffered illness due to a school's lack of adherence to health and safety guidelines while preparing food for the canteen or tuck shop, a no win no fee solicitor could help you get 100% compensation.
Phone 0800 10 757 95 to contact us about making a food poisoning compensation claim today, or request a ring back.
