Lawsuit: Conagra Sued Over Exploding Pam Cooking Spray Cans

Six lawsuits have been filed against Conagra Brands (CAG), the maker behind Pam and other branded cooking sprays. The lawsuit alleges that Conagra’s cooking spray exploded, burned, and disfigured the six people that filed the complaints.

The lawsuits also claim that Conagra designed cooking spray cans that were defective and failed to warn consumers about the dangers of the product. The plaintiffs in the case also allege that when the cans got close to a heat source, they were particularly susceptible to an explosion.

The court filing that was made on Tuesday morning in the Cook County Superior Court in Chicago – also where Conagra is headquartered. Conagra responded to the suits by saying that there are clear instructions on the front and back of the package that it should not be used near a stove or heat source or sprayed near an open flame, USA Today reported.

According to the law firm Koskof Koskoff & Bieder, which is representing the explosion victims, Conagra started using a new type of aerosol container to dispense its cooking spray. The law firm claims that the company did so to save money by using a venting mechanism on the bottom of the can.

"It is beyond irresponsible that, to increase profits, Conagra Brands made and sold cans of household cooking spray that are susceptible to explosion, choosing not to use the safer designs as it had for the last sixty years, and failed to warn consumers about the very serious risks," J. Craig Smith of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder said in a statement.

"Perhaps more alarming is the fact that, to this day, Conagra apparently refuses to institute a nationwide recall to ensure that the defective cans sitting on store shelves right now are removed before someone else suffers permanent injury from an explosion. Each day that these cans remain on store shelves, Conagra's negligence puts consumers in danger,” Smith added.

Conagra stopped producing the cooking spray cans with the new design as of Jan. 1, 2019.

Shares of Conagra stock were down 2.15 percent as of 3:32 p.m. ET on Tuesday.