On 7 January this year, Paulette Carr filed a suit against McDonald’s, claiming she was scalded by the hot coffee she had bought at a McDonald’s restaurant in Van Nuys, in southern California.
The amount of money she is seeking has not been made public. She is also asking for recompense for lost wages, medical expenses, loss of earning capacity, and the need for future medical care.
Twenty years ago, Stella Liebeck from New Mexico was awarded US$2.86 million when the coffee she had bought from McDonald’s ended up in her lap. She had been hospitalized for eight days while she underwent skin grafting, followed by two years of medical treatment. McDonald’s had been deemed to be 80 per cent responsible. The fast food company challenge the verdict, and the suit was later settled out of court for a smaller amount.
These are the big cases that make international headlines. And big multinational companies do have the resources to fight them. Last year, Australian Anthony Bayss, came up with a solution that even local cafes can take on board.
The Smart Lid is a plastic lid that is direct food contact compliant and changes colour depending on the temperature of the liquid underneath it. At a scalding temperature of 47.8 degrees Celsius, it is bright red. The lid colour changes gradually as the liquid in its cup cools, so a safe drinking temperature may be gauged.
Bayss has won eight international awards for innovation and has a small but growing market in Sydney. Now may be his time to soar. The Smart Lid company is looking for funding through Indiegogo to produce Smart Lids for the vast American and European markets.
"The Smart Lid is being sold to cafes in Australia. However, the number one question we receive every day comes from North America and from Europe - asking when the Smart Lid will be available in your home, in your office or for use around your elderly parents," said Anthony Bayss, director at Smart Lid Systems.
"In the USA alone, there are 180 million daily coffee drinkers and 170 million daily tea drinkers. These drinkers now have a visual warning indicator to aid in the prevention of many scald accidents. The end-game for us is to have the product available to all consumers through the major retailers.”
Each year in the USA, 150,000 hot liquid scald cases require medical treatment, according to the American Burn Association. Children, the elderly and people with special needs are the groups most at risk.
Interested? Find out more about the Smart Lid’s Indiegogo project here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig8zAjqYFj8
