Tiger Brands tables settlement offer in listeriosis class action to victims
The food manufacturer remains under public and legal scrutiny, nearly seven years after a deadly outbreak linked to its polony products claimed over 200 lives and infected more than 1,000 people.
Picture: Facebook/TigerBrandsFMCG
JOHANNESBURG - Tiger Brands has tabled a settlement offer in the listeriosis class action to victims in what could be a breakthrough in the long-stalled case.
The food manufacturer remains under public and legal scrutiny, nearly seven years after a deadly outbreak linked to its polony products claimed over 200 lives and infected more than 1,000 people.
The settlement offer comes while the class action remains in its first phase, focused on establishing whether Tiger Brands can be held legally liable for the outbreak — only if that’s proven will the court decide how much is owed to victims.
The offer was made on 25 April by QBE Insurance Group, Tiger Brands’ lead insurer, and covers specific claimants who suffered harm from a deadly strain of listeria monocytogenes traced to the company’s food production line in 2017.
It applies to three groups, namely, those who contracted listeriosis, dependents who lost caregivers, and legal guardians of children who were infected.
The offer includes compensation for proven or agreed damages, but without admitting liability.
The company said the settlement offer follows advance payments made earlier in 2025 to claimants with urgent medical needs and shows its commitment to reaching a fair outcome.
The next step is for plaintiffs’ attorneys to present the offer to qualifying claimants, a process expected to take several weeks before damage quantification begins.
VICTIMS' LAWYERS WELCOME MOVE
Meanwhile, lawyers representing victims of the deadly 2017 Listeriosis outbreak have welcomed the company’s first real move towards compensation.
Lawyer for the victims, Richard Spoor, said this was the beginning of a long road to justice.
“It is a qualified offer that they made. It is limited to people whose genetic samples can be traced back to the outbreak - people whose infection is genetically linked to the bacteria found in the factory and its products. This is something we’ve been arguing for a long time. So this acknowledgement by Tiger Brands - that they produced and distributed contaminated food, is a really important one.”