Insurer Says Coverage for HVP Recall "Limited or Precluded"
Employers Fire Insurance Company has brought a declaratory relief action against Basic Food Flavors, Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Employers Fire says in its complaint that its policy "contain[s] certain terms, provisions, limits, conditions, exclusions and endorsements that limit or preclude coverage to Basic Food with respect to losses, costs or expenses incurred as result of the HVP Recall." The HVP recall referenced is the many food product recalls issued nationally as the result of hydrolyzed vegetable protein ("HVP") potentially contaminated with Salmonella Tennessee.
Click on the image of the complaint below to read it:
Neither a copy of the policy nor Employer's Fire rationale for "limits or preclusion" of coverage is yet available. However, this action should serve as a reminder for all food companies to review with their broker and insurance coverage teams their recall coverage. The HVP recall (like the PCA recall and other recent recalls) illustrates how big a financial impact a food recall can have. With the recall insurance market evolving rapidly (and with more options than existed a year or two ago), insureds should keep their brokers working hard to find appropriate (and afordable) coverage.
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