Product Description

FMC Food Machinery Division (the historic origin of FMC Corporation — Food Machinery Corporation, founded 1883; food-processing business divested through the 1990s-2000s and today part of John Bean Technologies / JBT Corporation) manufactured through the 20th century the principal U.S. line of canning equipment, sterilizers (retorts), aseptic processing equipment, fillers, and food-processing machinery used in U.S. and global fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy, and specialty food processing.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that FMC Food Machinery sterilizers, retorts, and heated food-processing vessels were specified through the asbestos era with:

  • Asbestos gasket material at sterilizer / retort access door seals (routinely replaced during equipment service)
  • Asbestos insulation on heated food-processing vessels and steam-jacketed processing equipment
  • Asbestos electrical wire insulation on control-system wiring

Food-processing plant workers, sterilizer operators, and plant maintenance workers who serviced FMC retorts and sterilization equipment disturbed asbestos as routine maintenance.

FMC Food Machinery Division / JBT Corporation / FMC Corporation has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • Food-processing plant workers at fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy, and specialty food plants
  • Sterilizer operators working FMC retort sterilization equipment
  • Plant maintenance workers servicing FMC food-processing machinery
  • Cannery workers at U.S. fruit and vegetable canning plants