Products Liability Insurance

What You Need to Know

This is your primary protection against food poisoning, allergic reactions, and foreign object injuries. It's automatically included in your general liability policy as part of products-completed operations coverage.

Why It Matters for Restaurant Owners

Products liability represents one of your highest risk exposures — food poisoning outbreaks, undisclosed allergens, and foreign objects in food generate millions in annual restaurant claims.

Adequate Limits Essential: Make sure your per-occurrence and aggregate limits are adequate (minimum $1M/$2M, but consider higher).

Prevention and Cost Reduction: Excellent food safety practices, proper allergen labeling, and quality control procedures both prevent claims and reduce insurance costs.

Key allergen management steps:

• Clearly identify all major allergens ("the Big 9": milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame) on the menu
• Disclose hidden allergens in sauces, marinades, and coatings
• Train all staff on major allergens, symptoms, and how to communicate allergen orders to the kitchen
• Never guarantee an item is "allergen-free" — cross-contact is always possible
• Use dedicated prep areas, utensils, and fryers for allergen-free orders where practical