Jury Awards $7.5 Million for Injuries from Popcorn Flavorings

DES MOINES, Iowa - A federal jury has awarded more than $6 million to a former employee of a popcorn manufacturer for lung injuries blamed on inhalation of a flavoring ingredient but in a sad postscript, the plaintiff died hours before the verdict was reached. Kuiper, et ux. v. Givaudan Flavors Corp., No. C 06-4009-MWB (N.D. Iowa).

Eight jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa found on March 12 that Givaudan Flavors Corp. failed to warn of the dangers of inhaling diacetyl in flavorings, and awarded $6,050,000 to Ronald Kuiper, 69, and $1.5 million for …