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Last week, Hayleigh Curtis made the news for a rather unusual reason. She is part of the Cadbury Innovation team at the chocolate-maker’s headquarters in Bournville, UK, and her employer, Mondelez International, has insured her taste buds for £1 million.
This means that Curtis cannot swallow swords, eat Fugu fish and chillies with a Scoville heat rating of over 350,000, which could damage her taste buds and render the insurance void.
While it’s unusual, instances of insuring various body parts, and for far bigger amounts, is not unheard of, though. In the food and beverages industry, as far back as 1993, food critic and restaurateur Egon Ronay got his taste buds insured for £400,000. Coffee taster Gennaro Pelliccia, who samples products for Costa Coffee, had his tongue insured for £10 million with Lloyds of London. Tata Global Beverages, which employs tea blender Sebastian Michaelis, had his taste buds insured for £1 million. Dreyer’s, which makes ice-cream, insured the taste buds of its master ice-cream taster John Harrison, for $1 million.
Keith Fisher, a fourth-generation butcher in the UK, had his taste buds insured for £1 million as he is reputed to be able to identify any cut or cure of pork the world over.
Many celebrities, including those from the world of sports and entertainment, have had body parts apart from the obvious ones such as legs and hands insured. Film company 20th Century Fox reportedly had yesteryear actor Betty Grable’s legs insured for $1 million each. According to insurer Lloyd’s website, Grable set off a trend of celebrity leg insurance. Ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev insured his for $34,000, and in 2006, David Beckham’s legs were insured for £100 million.
Silent film comedian Ben Turpin also bought a $25,000 insurance policy with Lloyd's, to be paid if his trademark crossed eyes ever uncrossed. The firm also insured American actor and entertainer Jimmy Durante's large nose for $140,000.
In the US, teeth whitening brand Aquafresh White Trays insured Ugly Betty star America Ferrera’s smile for $10 million as part of a programme to raise money for an organisation that provides free dental care for women moving from welfare payments to work.
Lloyd’s is well-known for its body parts insurances.
Compiled by Sravanthi Challapalli
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