Tiger Brands agrees to pay medical bills for listeriosis victims

Tiger Brands has agreed to pay the medical expenses for some victims affected by the listeriosis outbreak six years ago.

The news was announced during in an operational update on Wednesday.

The 2017 and 2018 outbreak was linked to processed meats and claimed 216 lives.

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Listeriosis class action

Giving an update on the listeriosis class action, Tiger Brands said its attorneys have reached an agreement with the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Richard Spoor Inc, on relief to qualifying individuals who have urgent medical needs.

This is despite liability in the class action suit not being determined yet. The company also did not disclose the amount that they will be paying the victims.

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Medical records

The agreement between the company’s and plaintiffs’ attorneys comes during pre-trial preparations for the class action, which involves discovery of documents and records to get the matter ready for trial for the court to determine liability.

“In January 2023, the two attorneys approached the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for access to their records relevant to the listeriosis outbreak,” reads the update.

These are viewed as important in determining the liability.  

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Ongoing review

At the beginning of the year, the NICD released files with some data relating to their investigation of the listeriosis outbreak to the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

“The files were shared with the company’s attorneys in February 2024 for review by their appointed experts. The experts’ review of the data is at an advanced stage but remains ongoing.”

In the statement for weeks ended September 2024, Tiger Brands said it is committed to working diligently to bring the listeriosis class action to a close.

“The company has product liability insurance cover appropriate for a group of its size. Coverage is subject to the terms and limits of the policy.

“A trial date will be allocated by court once all these pre-trial preparations have been fully attended to.”

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