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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
June 13, 2002
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New York
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
1-4858 13-1432060
(Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
521 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019
- ---------------------------------------- -----
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 765-5500
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) is filing
today further information regarding a purported class action brought
against it in Circuit Court of Jasper County, Missouri, on behalf of
employees at a plant owned and operated by Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. in
Jasper, Missouri. The plaintiffs are alleging that they have sustained
respiratory injuries in the workplace, which they attribute to a butter
flavor and particularly one of its ingredients, diacetyl. IFF continues to
believe that the litigation is without merit.
IFF's flavors, including the butter flavor that is the
subject of the lawsuit, meet the requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). IFF's flavors are safe for handling and use by
workers in food manufacturing plants when used according to specified
safety procedures. These procedures are detailed in instructions that IFF
provides to all of its customers for the safe handling and use of its
flavors. These instructions were provided to the Gilster-Mary Lee Jasper,
Missouri plant for the butter flavor. They include the use of appropriate
engineering controls, such as adequate ventilation, proper handling
procedures and respiratory protection for workers. IFF's customers are
responsible for assuring that their employees follow these standards.
The preliminary report issued by the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicates that these
instructions were not followed at the Gilster-Mary Lee Jasper Missouri
plant. As a result, IFF believes that any injuries the plaintiffs may have
suffered are related to inadequate workplace conditions, including
insufficient ventilation and the failure of the employer to assure that its
employees used appropriate respiratory protection.
Diacetyl is one of many ingredients in the butter flavor,
but the flavor is only one of a number of substances the workers handled or
were exposed to. Neither NIOSH in its report nor any other body that has
investigated the Jasper plant has identified a specific cause of any
injuries or illnesses that the workers may have suffered. In fact, the
NIOSH report states that any one or more of a number of substances,
including: volatile organic compounds other than diacetyl, and respirable
dust, concentrations of all of which were measured by NIOSH, "may be a
marker for the causative agent or agents in the mixing and microwave
popcorn production areas."
Butter flavors are very common and have been safely and
widely used for over 50 years in a variety of food products, including
confectionary products, spices, prepared foods, and snack foods. Many
ingredients in butter flavors are found in nature. For example, diacetyl
occurs naturally in more than 100 different foods, including butter,
cheese, fruit, vegetables, wine and beer. Like all other ingredients used
by IFF, it is approved for use in food under standards established by the
FDA. It has been used safely in flavors for more than 50 years.
In manufacturing flavors, IFF employees routinely handle
and use significantly higher concentrations of ingredients, including
diacetyl, than those in the butter flavor provided to Gilster-Mary Lee. Yet
no IFF employee has ever suffered respiratory illness or injury as a result
of such handling and use. IFF's own experience reinforces the conclusion
that any injuries or illnesses that the Jasper plant employees may have
suffered were caused not by IFF flavors or any of their ingredients but by
inadequate workplace conditions at that facility.
IFF continues to cooperate fully with the government
agencies investigating the cause of the health complaints.
This case is still in its earliest stages. IFF does not
expect this litigation to have a material adverse effect on its financial
condition, results of operations or liquidity.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC.
By: /s/ Stephen A. Block
---------------------------------
Name: Stephen A. Block
Title: Senior Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
Dated: June 13, 2002