Was Kraft Foods — asbestos documented in litigation?

Kraft Foods — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Kraft Foods — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Kraft Foods — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Kraft Foods — Asbestos Manufacturer & Premises Overview

Kraft Foods — Corporate Overview

Kraft Foods traces to 1903, when J.L. Kraft began wholesaling cheese in Chicago. Over the following century, Kraft absorbed and was absorbed by many of the largest U.S. food companies — merging with General Foods in 1985, acquiring Nabisco in 2000, then splitting into Kraft Foods Group and Mondelēz International in 2012, and finally merging with H.J. Heinz in 2015 to form Kraft Heinz. Headquartered variously in Chicago IL and Northfield IL, Kraft operated a national footprint of cheese plants, dairy plants, meat plants, beverage plants, cereal and snack plants, and grocery-brand manufacturing facilities.

Premises Description

Kraft Foods has been named as a premises defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation for alleged asbestos exposure across its national food-processing network — including plants inherited from General Foods, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Kraft Cheese, Post Cereals, Maxwell House, Miracle Whip, and other legacy brands.

Kraft food-processing plants were heavy industrial premises: cheese and dairy processing halls, meat processing and packing plants, cereal and snack-food bakeries, coffee-roasting plants, retort and cook-kettle rooms, beverage bottling lines, refrigerated cold-chain warehouses, and powerhouse steam plants. Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that pre-1980 Kraft plant premises allegedly involved asbestos through:

Asbestos pipe covering on steam-sterilizer, pasteurizer, and CIP steam feeds
Asbestos sheet gaskets at retort, cooker, and kettle flanges
Asbestos-block insulation on cold-chain refrigeration equipment
Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on plant structural steel (pre-1973 EPA ban)
Asbestos-cement roofing panels on plant warehouses
Asbestos-fabric expansion joints on boilers and evaporators
Asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in plant switchgear
Asbestos rope packing on process pumps and valves

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly worked at Kraft cheese, dairy, meat, cereal, snack, coffee, and beverage plants across the country in trades including:

Insulators (HFIAW) applying and removing asbestos pipe covering and block on steam and refrigeration lines
Pipefitters (UA) breaking asbestos-gasketed flanges on retorts, cookers, pasteurizers, and CIP systems
Boilermakers servicing asbestos-refractory-lined powerhouse boilers
Millwrights rebuilding food-processing pumps, homogenizers, separators, and can-seamers
Refrigeration mechanics working on asbestos-insulated cold-chain equipment
Electricians (IBEW) on plant switchgear and motor-control centers
Sheet metal workers (SMART) on HVAC and process ductwork
Kraft operators and maintenance personnel around asbestos-fireproofed manufacturing halls

If You Worked at Kraft Foods

If you or a family member worked at a Kraft Foods / General Foods / Nabisco / Oscar Mayer / Kraft Cheese / Post / Maxwell House plant before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

Kraft Foods operated plants across many U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages:

California — Kraft Foods California plant premises
Illinois — Kraft Foods Illinois plant premises
Minnesota — Kraft Foods Minnesota plant premises
Missouri — Kraft Foods Missouri plant premises
New York — Kraft Foods New York plant premises
Ohio — Kraft Foods Ohio plant premises
Pennsylvania — Kraft Foods Pennsylvania plant premises
Wisconsin — Kraft Foods Wisconsin plant premises

Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire

No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery

Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act

Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

Call: (314) 207-2823 Free consultation — available now

O’Brien Law Firm

Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims