Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Pet Food News

Old News, but Interesting News

One of you great readers out there sent me a 2002 article from the Washington Post. The article shares some interesting pet food lawsuit information, but this lawsuit was Nutro suing Iams, and Iams suing Nutro.

One of you great readers out there sent me a 2002 article from the Washington Post. The article shares some interesting pet food lawsuit information, but this lawsuit was Nutro suing Iams, and Iams suing Nutro.

According to the 2002 Washington Post article, “fur started flying” when Proctor & Gamble purchased Iams Pet Food in 1999 and “By early 2000, Iams reformulated its dog food ingredients “to enhance” the formula — substituting chicken for “chicken by-products meal” and a “carbohydrate blend” of bran sorghum and barley for rice. It then adjusted its package instructions to reduce per-day servings by 25 percent to reflect scientific evidence, it says, that in-home dogs are 25 percent less active than kennel dogs — the basis of most dog food formulations.”

It seems Nutro (back then was independently owned, Mars didn’t purchase Nutro until 2007) wasn’t pleased with the recommended feeding instructions by Iams and they filed a lawsuit based on their own independent testing of Iams pet food. “Nutro complained to Iams, threatening legal action if it didn’t change its feeding guidelines. Iams sued Nutro for “disparaging activity” and “false and misleading statements,” alleging that Nutro’s in-store demonstrators were telling shoppers that Iams was using roadkill in its reformulated food. Nutro sued Procter & Gamble (Iams) for false advertising and misleading labeling. A month later, Kal Kan did the same thing.”

The Washington Post story goes on to say that next, the FDA got involved. “The FDA’s Center of Veterinary Medicine reviewed the claims and issued to Iams a confidential letter whose contents became public in June under the Freedom of Information Act. Large segments of the FOIA-released version are redacted by court order as proprietary and confidential. But enough remains to suggest Iams may be in the FDA’s doghouse.”

And then Iams made a statement about the reduced feeding amount directions on their label…
“Iams is leading the industry by reducing our feeding guidelines to help combat the problem of overweight and obese pets,” says Brown, adding that the changes were made to enhance animal health in a society where pet owners and their pets tend to be overweight and sedentary.”

Did you catch that? Facing accusations and lawsuit, newly P&G owned Iams pet food made a statement they were being a responsible pet food manufacturer by reducing the recommended feeding amount because all dogs need to diet.

I found the lawsuit in court documents but guess what?  The documents are sealed; no one can read any of the evidence brought forth in this case.  This trial began in December 2000 and ended “all claims are dismissed with prejudice” in November 2004.

If you’d like to read the full Washington Post article, Click Here

Thanks to ‘K’ for sending me this!

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports?  Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods,  and pet treats.  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com

Are you subscribed to Truth About Pet Food Newsletter?  Click Here to subscribe

Follow Truth about Pet Food on Twitter

Become a Fan of Truth about Pet Food, Dinner PAWsible, Buyer Beware on Facebook

Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn More

Human Grade & Feed Grade
Do you know what the differences are between Feed Grade and Human Grade pet food? Click Here.

 

The Regulations
Pet Food is regulated by federal and state authorities. Unfortunately, authorities ignore many safety laws. Click Here to learn more about the failures of the U.S. pet food regulatory system.

 

The Many Styles of Pet Food
An overview of the categories, styles, legal requirements and recall data of commercial pet food in the U.S. Click Here.

 

The Ingredients
Did you know that all pet food ingredients have a separate definition than the same ingredient in human food? Click Here.

Click Here for definitions of animal protein ingredients.

Click Here to calculate carbohydrate percentage in your pet’s food.

 

Sick Pet Caused by a Pet Food?

If your pet has become sick or has died you believe is linked to a pet food, it is important to report the issue to FDA and your State Department of Agriculture.

Save all pet food – do not return it for a refund.

If your pet required veterinary care, ask your veterinarian to report to FDA.

Click Here for FDA and State contacts.

The List

The Treat List

Special Pages to Visit

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Click Here

Pet Food Recall History (2007 to present)
Click Here

Find Healthy Pet Foods Stores
Click Here

About TruthaboutPetFood.com
Click Here

Friends of TruthaboutPetFood.com
Click Here

You May Also Like

Pet Food Ingredients

Do you know the changes that have been made to your pet food over the years? You might REALLY be surprised at some of...

Pet Food News

FDA warned Mars Petcare a roach infested pet food plant is a "regulatory violation", but then the agency just walked away taking no enforcement...

Pet Food News

The new buzz word of pet food is...'clean'. "Clean label" and "Clean food". Beware of the buzz.

Pet Food News

Thanks to a tip from a friend, it appears Mars Petcare has sold the Iams/Eukanuba Pet Food brands they purchased just a little over...