In February 2025, Consumer Reports published their testing results of various pet food products. One of the pet foods that was tested – “Pedigree’s Complete Nutrition Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice, and Vegetable” – was found to contain more than 4 times the allowed level of vitamin D.
Consumer Reports provided the lab results to Mars Petcare (manufacturer of Pedigree dog food), stating: “Following a thorough review of the single 2023 Pedigree product batch referenced by Consumer Reports, we can confirm that our products are safe.”
But…
On May 2, 2025 a lawsuit was filed against Mars Petcare based on the lab analysis performed by Consumer Reports. From the lawsuit:
“Defendant Mars is a manufacturer and seller of pet food, including PEDIGREE
Complete Nutrition Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Dog Kibble (the “Contaminated Kibble”).”
“The packaging of the Contaminated Kibble unequivocally promises that the pet
food is a “100% Complete & Balanced” (the “Nutrition Claim”) diet for dogs.”
“However, despite the Nutrition Claim, Mars manufactured and sold Contaminated
Kibble that failed to comply with Mars’ representations regarding the quality and composition of the Contaminated Kibble. In fact, Mars manufactured and sold Contaminated Kibble that independent testing found to contain excessive amounts of Vitamin D.”
“Because the Contaminated Kibble contained an undisclosed excess of Vitamin D,
pet owners throughout the United States purchased Contaminated Kibble that was falsely and misleadingly marketed as an “100% Complete & Balanced” diet for dogs.”
“On February 12, 2025, Consumer Reports reported that it had conducted independent testing studying the nutritional profiles of popular pet foods. Consumer Reports tested three samples of the Contaminated Kibble. The independent testing revealed that the Contaminated Kibble contained an average of 14,282 IU/kg of Vitamin D, more than 28 times the minimum maintenance amount and 4.8 times the maximum amount permitted by AAFCO.”
To read the full lawsuit, Click Here.
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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CATHERINE E STEELE
May 19, 2025 at 11:54 am
One of our dogs was killed by excess vitamin D years ago by Blue Buffalo kibble; who failed to recall the adulterated food for 3 months, despite numerous veterinarians reporting issues. It is beyond frustration that this issue continues and pet “food” manufacturers have not been held accountable.