Indiana couple accuses Veggie Booty maker of poisoning son

NEW YORK (AP) -- The parents of an Indiana toddler have sued the makers of Veggie Booty, claiming the recalled snack poisoned their child.

The snack had been recalled last week after the company found a seasoning made with imported Chinese ingredients tested positive for bacteria.

Refund info

Robert's American Gourmet says consumers who purchased Veggie Booty Snack Food and Veggie Booty Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks and still have the products in their homes should discard the contents and contact the company at 1-800-626-7557 for reimbursement. Information is also available at the company Web site http://www.robscape.com.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York by David and Ashlee Allen, of Valparaiso, Indiana, says their 18-month-old son, Xavier, ate a bag of Veggie Booty on May 20. It alleges that three days later, he had a bout of "severe, bloody diarrhea," and was found to have salmonella poisoning at a hospital.

Robert's American Gourmet Inc. had a duty to make food "that was fit for human consumption ... and that was free of pathogenic bacteria," said the suit, which seeks unspecified damages. "The defendant breached this duty."

A telephone message left Friday with the company, based in Sea Cliff on Long Island, was not immediately returned.

The company recalled its Veggie Booty Snack Food last week after it was associated with 54 cases of salmonella poisoning in 17 states. Many of those sickened reported eating Veggie Booty.

The recall was expanded on Monday to include Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks Snack Food, since it uses the same seasoning. A company official said a spray-on seasoning made with imported Chinese ingredients that was used on both baked products had tested positive for bacteria.