BEIJING — William Marler, food safety advocate and expert in foodborne illness litigation, will speak at the China International Food Safety Conference and Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 4:30 p.m.

His lecture, titled “How U.S. Consumers Hold Producers Liable: A Civil Litigation Lesson in the U.S. Market,” will be presented at the Landmark Hotel and Towers.

China is experiencing growth on a level that is almost incomprehensible,” said Marler from his office in Seattle. “The job of maintaining food safety and quality during that growth is a task on the same scale. I got involved with the conference — both as a speaker and a sponsor — because I believe that the Chinese food safety officials are doing exactly the right thing by inviting those at the forefront of the field worldwide to come to China and share their expertise.”

Marler began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, resulting in her landmark $15.6 million settlement. Marler has focused his practice on representing people in litigation resulting from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, hepatitis A, and other food contamination cases. He has represented victims of every major foodborne illness outbreak in the United States, securing more than $500 million for his clients.

Marler travels widely to address industry, government, and consumer groups in an effort to improve food safety around the world. Earlier this year, he organized and hosted a food safety conference in Seattle where experts from the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and China met to discuss food safety in the global marketplace.

“The current milk crisis underscores the need for Chinese business and government to take a hard look at food safety and quality,” Marler said. “The challenges couldn’t be clearer.”

The China International Food Safety Conference and Expo runs Sept. 23-24.  It is hosted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine, PRC and produced by the China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association.

Marler and his partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. More information is available at www.MarlerClark.com and Marler’s blog: www.marlerblog.com.