Table of contents
- Latest Maruchan Instant Lunch Soup Cup Burn Lawsuit Updates
- April 28, 2016: Settlement Reported in the Buffkin Suit
- January 20, 2014: Maruchan Moves to Dismiss the Burn Suit
- What Is Maruchan Instant Lunch?
- Who May Be Affected?
- Reported Injuries or Damages
- Evidence to Preserve
- Filing Deadlines
- Potential Compensation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Has Maruchan Been Recalled?
- What Does Research Say About Instant Soup Cup Burns?
- How Large Were the Burns in the Soup Cup Study?
- Are Instant Noodle Burns Always Severe?
- What First Aid Helps After an Instant Noodle Burn?
- Who Conducted the Soup Cup Burn Study?
A Maruchan Instant Lunch cup tipped over in May 2011 and scalded a toddler in North Carolina, according to her mother’s lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges design defects make the cups more likely to tip over and spill hot contents.
Kimberly Buffkin, the toddler’s mother, sued Maruchan Inc. and its parent company, Toyo Suisan Kaisha, in November 2013. The case was an individual claim. The two sides reached a confidential settlement in 2016.
No recall, class action or MDL involves Maruchan Instant Lunch cups, and no other lawsuit over burns from the cups has been reported.
Latest Maruchan Instant Lunch Soup Cup Burn Lawsuit Updates
April 28, 2016: Settlement Reported in the Buffkin Suit
WXII, citing the Winston-Salem Journal, reported that attorneys for Kimberly Buffkin and Maruchan Inc. notified the court of a settlement on April 19, 2016 [1].
Maruchan’s attorney said the settlement is confidential, so no amount was reported. No court ruling on the merits was reported.
January 20, 2014: Maruchan Moves to Dismiss the Burn Suit
WHNT, republishing a WGHP story, reported that Maruchan had filed a motion to dismiss Kimberly Buffkin’s lawsuit [2]. She blames design defects in Maruchan Instant Lunch cups for her daughter’s second-degree burns.
What Is Maruchan Instant Lunch?
Maruchan describes Instant Lunch as “The OG greatest on-the-go ramen in the history of ramen-to-go.” The cup’s own instruction is to “just add hot water.” It is the cup named in the Buffkin suit.
In 2006, Greenhalgh and colleagues wrote that instant soups “tend to be tall with a narrow base that predisposes them to being knocked over and spilled” [3]. Their study names no Maruchan product.
Who May Be Affected?
Children scalded when a hot cup of instant noodles or soup tips over or spills may be affected. The 2011 Instant Lunch burn behind the Buffkin suit is one example.
A University of Chicago study by Shen and colleagues looked at pediatric scalds. Children with instant noodle burns were older than other scald patients, 5.4 vs. 3.8 years [4].
Not every burn comes from a spill. Dr. Colleen Ryan of Shriners Children’s Boston told CBS News that most of the time, children open the microwave themselves to reach hot noodles [5].
Whether a burn supports a claim depends on its facts, and each case needs an individual legal review. You can read about product liability lawsuits on this site.
Reported Injuries or Damages
In the Buffkin suit, the plaintiff said her daughter suffered second-degree burns and needed numerous surgeries. That is the plaintiff’s account, and no court decided it.
The Greenhalgh study covered 13 soups. It reported 99 admissions and 80 outpatients treated for soup burns between June 1997 and August 2004.
In that study, 22 patients required grafting. The authors wrote that “The most significant contributor to the ease of tipping over was height.”
The Shen study found that 245 of 790 pediatric scald burns were attributed to instant noodles. Dr. Ryan said her clinic sees “two to three burn cases a week” from a viral noodle trend.
Evidence to Preserve
Records from the burn can help a lawyer understand what happened. Write down what you remember soon, while the details are fresh, and keep these items if you can:
- The cup and lid, which should not be discarded
- The receipt, packaging or lot code showing the brand and flavor
- Photographs of the burn and of the scene
- Medical records and bills
- Names of any witnesses
- Notes on how the cup was prepared and where it was set
- Any messages with the company
Filing Deadlines
Filing deadlines come from state law. They differ depending on where the person lives and when the burn happened. For a child, state rules on timing can differ too.
A late filing can end a burn claim even when the facts are strong. Speak with a lawyer soon after an injury to learn which time limit applies.
Potential Compensation
Possible categories in a burn claim are medical expenses and future care. Others are scarring, pain and suffering, and a parent’s or caregiver’s lost income.
No settlement figure for the Buffkin lawsuit is public. Compensation amounts vary by case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. These potential compensation categories promise no result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Maruchan Been Recalled?
Maruchan has not been recalled. Lotus Foods rice ramen cups, a different brand, were recalled over microwave labeling, so that recall has no link to Maruchan Instant Lunch cups or to the Buffkin suit.
What Does Research Say About Instant Soup Cup Burns?
Research on instant soup cup burns points to packaging design. Greenhalgh and colleagues concluded that a wider base, a shorter height and burn warnings would reduce the frequency of soup burns.
How Large Were the Burns in the Soup Cup Study?
The soup cup study measured burn size as a share of total body surface area, or TBSA. Greenhalgh and colleagues reported a mean burn size of 5% TBSA for the soup burns they reviewed.
Are Instant Noodle Burns Always Severe?
Instant noodle burns are not always severe, but they can be serious. The Shen study called them less severe than other scald burns in its series. Even so, they still demonstrated a need for hospitalization and operative intervention.
What First Aid Helps After an Instant Noodle Burn?
First aid for an instant noodle burn, according to Dr. Colleen Ryan, is 20 minutes of cool water. She said injuries come from both the temperature of the noodles and hot water being spilled. CBS News reported her advice on October 1, 2025.
Who Conducted the Soup Cup Burn Study?
The soup cup burn study was conducted by Greenhalgh and colleagues at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California and UC Davis. It appeared in the Journal of Burn Care & Research in July-August 2006 as “Instant cup of soup: design flaws increase risk of burns.”