Quaker Bar
ST. LOUIS — A woman has filed a lawsuit against The Quaker Oats Company, alleging that contaminated Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars led to a serious E. coli infection, hospitalization and long-term health consequences.
Aubrey Schmoll, a resident of St. Louis County, purchased and regularly consumed Quaker Bars in November and December of 2023, unaware that the products were allegedly manufactured at a facility the FDA had flagged for unsanitary conditions and repeated contamination concerns, according to a complaint filed June 16 in St. Louis Circuit Court.
The Danville, Ill., facility, where the bars were made, had reportedly failed to correct years-long issues with bacterial contamination, including the persistence of the same strain of Salmonella since 2020.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), during its inspection of the Danville plant, concluded that the Quaker Bars were adulterated under federal law due to their preparation and storage in “insanitary conditions” that rendered them potentially injurious to health.
Quaker identified a leaking HVAC pipe as a root cause of the contamination during the inspection process.
The FDA, however, corrected this assessment, stating that while such a pipe might contribute to contamination, it would not be the source of Salmonella. The agency warned that the conditions present could foster other dangerous pathogens such as E. coli, which is commonly spread through contaminated water.
On Dec. 15, 2023, Quaker issued a recall of the breakfast bars and several other products due to the risk of Salmonella contamination. Just days later, on Dec. 20, 2023, Schmoll was admitted to Mercy South Hospital in St. Louis with severe lower back pain.
Medical tests revealed she had contracted E. coli, along with a urinary tract infection and a right ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction — conditions her physicians believed were likely linked to her consumption of the recalled Quaker Bars.
Schmoll remained hospitalized for three days and was later required to undergo surgery in March 2024 to address the UPJ obstruction. Her recovery lasted six weeks and included monthly renal scans through July 2024.
Although her kidneys have stabilized, Schmoll alleges that she continues to experience symptoms, including blood in her urine and has not yet fully healed.
Aubrey Schmoll, who works full time and cares for three children, was unable to fulfill her work or parenting duties during her illness and recovery. She exhausted her paid time off and missed out on a performance bonus in May 2024.
Her husband, Dan Schmoll, was also forced to take time off from work to care for her and manage household duties and childcare, according to the suit.
The plaintiff asserts that Quaker’s actions directly resulted in her illness, medical expenses estimated at over $50,000 and lasting physical and emotional harm.
Notably, the complaint claims that Quaker elected to shut down and demolish the Danville facility due to the high costs associated with bringing it up to safe food-handling standards, instead of investing in necessary improvements to protect consumers.
The FDA inspection noted that the facility had been the source of several product recalls and lacked proper maintenance to prevent contamination.
Schmoll is seeking damages in excess of $25,000 on each of the five counts, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and court costs. She is represented by Lucas D. Jackson of Weigl Law in St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Court case number: 25SL-CC06411
