Jeff Benedict’s 2013 bestseller “Poisoned” has been made into a Netflix documentary and a new edition of the book that is tied to the release of the film is coming out in January 2023.
The 2011 book, “Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat,” chronicles a deadly 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak and the rise of Bill Marler as a food safety attorney. The new edition can be pre-ordered now.
“Turning this story into a film has been a writer’s dream. Grateful to Bill and Julie Marler for trusting me with their odyssey (I didn’t expect to find a love story when I set out to write about a food borne illness outbreak),” Benedict wrote about the documentary and new edition. “Fortunate that Simon & Schuster and AvidReader Press keep me around. Lucky to have worked with Ross Dinerstein and his great filmmaking team at Campfire Studios.”
The documentary is being executive produced by award-winning author and journalist Jeff Benedict. Benedict is joining forces with Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire — know for Jiro Dreams of Sushi and HBO Max’s Heaven’s Gate — as well as filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and her banner Atlas Films — Fed Up; The Devil We Know — for the documentary, which carries the same name as the book.
The documentary will chronicle the evolution and history of America’s food supply system, as well as the untold stories from the victims of notorious outbreaks and spotlighting high-profile criminal prosecutions for those responsible.
“Poisoned” will go directly to the source, following the distribution trail from start to finish, examining where the process breaks down, as well as the bureaucratic red tape and collusion among lobbyists and lawmakers that work against addressing this life-or-death problem.
The documentary makers are promoting the project as an all-encompassing, infuriating, and at times even humorous roller-coaster ride that seeks to ask the question: “How did we get to a place with 15 government agencies in charge of the country’s food, yet none of them can keep its citizens safe?”
The film will be directed by Soechtig. Dinerstein serves as producer alongside Soechtig and Atlas Films’ Kristin Lazure. Benedict and Campfire’s Ross Girard and Rebecca Evans are executive producers.
About Campfire
Founded in 2014 and headed by producer and CEO Ross Dinerstein, Campfire is a production company known for its broad bench of content. scripted and unscripted, for feature film and TV/streaming platforms. Part of Wheelhouse Entertainment, Campfire’s projects include docuseries Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults for HBO Max; Hulu’s upcoming WeWork feature documentary; FX’s first true crime docuseries The Most Dangerous Animal of All; Netflix’s true-crime documentary series John Grisham’s The Innocent Man; and Netflix’s Emmy-nominated, scripted series Special.
Editor’s note: Bill Marler is publisher of Food Safety News.
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