Beneful Lawsuit Raises More Questions Regarding Pet Food Safety
On February 4, 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed in California against Nestle Purina, claiming that Purina’s popular Beneful dog food was harming – and even killing – thousands of dogs. The lawsuit alleges that Nestle Purina added the solvent propylene glycol to Beneful, resulting in the illnesses and deaths.[1]
According to the US Government’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “Propylene glycol is also used to make polyester compounds, and as a base for deicing solutions. Propylene glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food.”[2]
The class-action lawsuit alleges that over the past four years, more than 3,000 complaints have been filed online, alerting Nestle Purina that Beneful was harming dogs, causing issues including internal bleeding, weight loss, dehydration and other symptoms.[1]
The Beneful products in the lawsuit are:
- Purina Beneful Healthy Smile
- Healthy Fiesta
- Healthy Growth for Puppies
- Healthy Radiance
- Healthy Weight
- Incredibites
- Original
- Playful Life[1]
While investigative agencies have stated that there is “some concern” that propylene glycol can cause skin allergies or irritation, there appears to be “low concern” of toxic properties, such as developmental or reproductive toxicities or carcinogenic properties, and propylene glycol is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration[3]
But the question remains…
Do we want a chemical that is used in polyester and antifreeze to be in our dogs’ food?
Apparently, two US senators, Dianne Feinstein of California and Dick Durbin of Illinois, are disturbed by the prospect. Feinstein and Durbin have sent a formal letter to the FDA requesting that it investigate these claims. The senators have also stated that they want the FDA to ramp up its supervision of pet food in light of the lawsuit and to inform them as to what they have been doing to carry out laws put in place by Congress as part of the FDA Amendments act of 2007, which are designed to prevent pet food contamination.[1]
Changes required by the Act include:
- Improving pet food safety regulations
- Tightening control of pet food labeling requirements
- Creating an early warning system for contaminated products
- Setting standards for pet food ingredients and processing[1]
Feinstein and Durbin do not believe the FDA has done its job in implementing these changes and protecting our pets from contamination in their food supply. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, the senators wrote:
“To put it frankly, the food safety system Congress fought to develop has not been put in place by the FDA.” – Senators Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin
What is Nestle Purina’s response?
“We at Beneful want you, our valued customers, to know that this lawsuit is baseless; you can continue to feel confident feeding your dogs our food. We stand committed to our Brand, our products and your pets.”
As a consumer, it’s easy to feel helpless in such a situation. We try to buy the best foods we can for our beloved companion animals, and yet time and again we find that trusted brands may be producing foods that are harming our pets rather than doing what they claim to be – promoting health.
While the only sure-fire way to make sure this won’t happen to you and your pet is to prepare their food yourself, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk.
Here are my suggestions:
- Purchase your dog or cat’s food from a company that is large enough to have top-notch safety protocols in place, but still small enough that there remains a “family” type commitment to quality. Be sure that you can call and speak directly to a qualified and knowledgeable representative.
- Ask the company some tough questions, such as: “Do you own your manufacturing facility or do you outsource manufacturing?” “Can you guarantee that all ingredients in the food are listed on the label?” “Where do you source your ingredients from?” “What safety protocols do you have in place to prevent contamination?” “If you were to discover an issue, what methods do you use to quickly notify consumers?”
- Write to your public officials and let them know that you support the efforts of Senators Feinstein and Durbin, and that protecting the pet food supply from contaminants is an important issue to you. If our representatives hear their constituents speak out on this topic, they will be more likely to jump on board.
Remember, our pets can’t vote, but we can, and we are their voice!
Do you have something to add to this story? Voice your thoughts in the comments below!References
- [1] PetFoodIndustry.com (2015). Senators ask for tougher FDA oversight of petfood. Retrieved from http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/5030-senators-ask-for-tougher-fda-oversight-of-petfood. ↩
- [2] Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (2015). Public health statement for propylene glycol. Retrieved from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=1120&tid=240. ↩
- [3] Environmental Working Group (2015). Propylene Glycol. Retrieved from http://www.ewg.org/guides/substances/4889. ↩
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