Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Pet Food News

Hormel Foods sues Purina for Trademark Infringement

It appears to be another attempt at trying to make feed grade pet products seem just like human food. But this time Hormel Foods sues Purina over it’s Black Label marketing.

It appears to be another attempt at trying to make feed grade pet products seem just like human food. But this time Hormel Foods sues Purina over it’s Black Label marketing.

Filed on May 23, 2017, Hormel Foods – manufacturer of Black Label Bacon products – is suing Purina Pet Foods for trademark infringement, alleging Purina’s promotion of Beggin’ Black Label dog treats will cause “consumer confusion” and is “trading upon the goodwill” established by Hormel Foods causing the food company “substantial and irreparable harm and injury.”

Hormel Foods states they have “continuously offered bacon products under the trademark BLACK LABEL” since 1963.

In January 2017, Purina introduced it’s Beggin’ Strips Black Label dog treats…

In a YouTube advertisement for the dog treats, Purina even makes the direct association to Hormel Bacon; “Defendant depicts a cartoon dog sniffing down a grocery bacon case, including shots of Hormel Foods’s BLACK LABEL-brand bacon:”

The lawsuit also states “In addition to prominently featuring real bacon in their advertisements, Purina’s “Black Label” product has the appearance of real bacon, which Purina prominently markets floating against a black backdrop in advertisements that are strikingly similar to a number of Hormel advertisements for its BLACK LABEL-brand products:”

 

Is the above proof enough that pet feed manufacturers are completely out of control with their marketing? That their misleading marketing to consumers is totally unregulated? So much so that a human food manufacturer has to sue to protect their own image (not wanting the association of a feed grade dog treat to their human food product)?

“Real Meat #1 Ingredient” has a completely different meaning for a pet food or treat than it does in human food. With Purina Beggin’ Strips – the ‘real meat’ is pork – which per the legal definition is allowed to be sourced from condemned pork not suitable for human consumption. Condemned pork is NOT human grade as Purina and many others imply.

Federal law states that foods – to “promote honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers” shall use “common or usual name” of ingredients. But law also states “In prescribing a definition and standard of identity for any food or class of food in which optional ingredients are permitted” – optional ingredients such as feed grade ingredients allowed by FDA into pet food – “the Secretary shall, for the purpose of promoting honesty and fair dealing in the interest of consumers, designate the optional ingredients which shall be named on the label.” This is what pet food consumers do not have – those ‘optional ingredient names’. And we need those optional ingredient names to be public information, not hidden away – corporately owned by AAFCO.

We don’t have an ‘honest’ pet food industry (as a whole). There is no ‘fair dealing in the interest of consumers’. This will be a topic of discussion in our meetings with Senators and FDA in a few weeks. Optional ingredients ARE permitted, they should be clearly designated as feed grade to better inform consumers.

To read the full lawsuit – click here.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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 4,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com

list-seal-xsmall

 

The 2017 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods.  Click Here

 

Have you read Buyer Beware?  Click Here

Cooking pet food made easy, Dinner PAWsible

Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here

 

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Chris Javier

    June 5, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    Thank you for another great article. Good luck with the upcoming engagements with the government departments, I wish you all the best and we’re here to help where we can, on behalf of myself and many other concerned pet owners.

  2. landsharkinnc

    June 5, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    I first saw this commercial about two weeks ago — and my first thought was .. HORMEL?? Making Treats??? then I paid closer attention the next time and realized it was probably the Mfg. of the ‘Beggin’ Strip’ product — never paid any attention to who made them as I would never feed any of that type product — I can’t imagine how they thought they would ‘get away’ with this!!! — OR…. do you supposed these products are ‘old’ repurposed out of sell by date REAL Hormel Black label?? Wouldn’t THAT be awful!

  3. Sharon Johnson

    June 5, 2017 at 1:28 pm

    Government agencies sold out consumers to Big Business a long time ago and there’s no going back. We can only hope that Hormel, being the giant it is, will prompt further scrutiny into the pet “food” game. Silly, I know.

  4. Cannoliamo (@Cannoliamo)

    June 5, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    Have you ever checked the original Beggin Strips label?

    Bacon is the 9th listed ingredient, …… Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, wheat flour, water, glycerin, ground yellow corn, sugar, soybean meal, bacon (preserved with sodium nitrite), salt, bacon fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), phosphoric acid, sorbic acid (a preservative), calcium propionate (a preservative), natural and artificial smoke flavors, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6, added color. T-4005

  5. Sharon Bilotta-Testa

    June 5, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    When are people who own pets relies all this expensive garbage they buy is ALL fake cheap ingredients??? It’s way cheaper and way better to buy the real stuff read the crap that’s in these packages if you cant even pronounce or know what it is…DON”T BUY IT!

  6. paponypal

    June 5, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    LAST NIGHT I WATCHED A DOCUMENTARY ON LINK TV. IT WAS CALLED FARMAGEDDEN. IT SHOWED HOW THE GOVERNMENT CONFISCATED, HARASSED AND FINED SMALL ORGANIC FARMERS AT THE BEHEST OF FACTORY FARM COMGLOBERATES. IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY. THEY’D RATHER PUSH JUNK FOOD THAN HEALTHY FOOD. I’M HAPPY HORMEL IS SUEING BUT THE PETFOOD COMPANIES WILL FIND ANOTHER ROUTE. PLUS HORMEL IS NO ANGEL ALLOWING PIGS TO SUFFER IN FACTORY FARMS. ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY CALLED POVERITY INC. SHOWS HOW FOREIGN AID IS ALL ABOUT MONEY FOR AG BUSINESS. SORRY FOR RAMBLING. I USED TO HAVE SOME FAITH IN OUR GOVERNMENT. NOW I HAVE NONE. I AM GLAD I MAKE MY OWN DOG FOOD. AND LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE WE STILL HAVE FAMILY FARMS. EXCUSE CAPS, ITS EASIER FOR ME.
    GOD BLESS YOU SUE AND YOUR BATTLE AGAINST GOLLIATH!

  7. Regina

    June 5, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    I am in no way a fan of Hormel, but I will be rooting for them in this instance.

    And wouldn’t it be great if somehow, somewhere along the way, the TRUTH about the “pork” that purina uses is not fit for consumption (by humans or our pets!!!!!)

  8. realtmfactory

    June 7, 2017 at 5:52 am

    Trademarks will not give you a monopoly over your product itself. A trademark will not allow you to prevent your competitor from using bacon in their pet food. The real question here is whether the use of “Black Label” by Nestle Purina Petcare Company for dog treats infringes on Hormel Foods’ “Black Label.” More specifically, is Hormel’s “Black Label” distinctive enough to prevent anyone from calling their food products—even pet food—that. Based on the law suit, looks like Hormel’s strongest point is HOW Purina is using the name to create an association with Hormel’s bacon. If Hormel can prove that Purina indeed “exploited an image of Hormel’s Black Label-brand bacon in an advertisement that depicts an excited cartoon dog sniffing at the meat case in a grocery store,” THAT could be the real clincher in this case.

    Andrei Mincov
    Founder and CEO of Trademark Factory® / https://trademarkfactory.com, the only firm in the world that offers trademarking services with a predictable, guaranteed result, for a predictable, guaranteed budget. We can help you register your trademarks with a free comprehensive trademark search, for a single all-inclusive flat fee, with a 100% money-back guarantee.

Leave a Reply

Cancel 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