Bonsoy to pay soy milk victims $25m in record class action High levels of iodine forced Bonsoy products to be recalled. Photo: Domino Postiglione The food and beverage industry has been sent a strong message about safety after a record $25 million class action settlement over a soy milk product that caused almost 500 people to fall ill, lawyers say. Maurice Blackburn Lawyers says the manufacturer, exporter and distributor of Bonsoy soy milk have agreed to compensate victims with $25 million, which it says is the highest settlement of a food safety class action in Australia. The law firm said the class action alleged that unsafe levels of iodine were added to the ingredients of the soy milk product via a seaweed product called Kombu. Nearly 500 people claimed they suffered damaging health consequences, with thyroid and other health problems, Maurice Blackburn class action principal Jacob Varghese said on Monday. Mr Varghese said the iodine was added to introduce a saltiness to the milk without having to declare the product's salt content. But the levels were 50 times the recommended daily intake in any glass, leaving a number seriously ill. Mr Varghese said the class action shows companies cannot get away with conduct that harms people's lives. "Hopefully it leads to an increase in standards across the industry," Mr Varghese told reporters in Melbourne. The defendants have not admitted liability. Lead plaintiff Erin Downie says she suffered terrible, debilitating health effects from drinking the milk while having difficulty breastfeeding her newborn. She said her hair began falling out, her gums bled, she had boils over her body and lost use of her arm and leg muscles. She spent the next two years bedridden and said it robbed her of time with her daughter in the first years of her life. "I wasn't just a little bit sick, it actually ruined the last seven years of my life," she told reporters. Ms Downie said she now has an auto-immune disease, chronic fatigue and cannot carry another child. She said she was relieved and grateful justice had prevailed, and companies had to be held to account for ingredients being put into consumable products. I knew someone was responsible for the damage and I made it my mission to hold someone accountable. The $25 million will be paid into a fund to be distributed to participants in the class action, with the funds expected to flow in the next six to 12 months. The settlement is subject to the approval of the Victorian Supreme Court on January 29.