Abraham Jewett  |  April 11, 2022

Category: Legal News

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Worst Pet Products Recalls, Class Action Lawsuits Overview: 

  • Who: A number of popular pet product and food companies have issued recalls and faced class action lawsuits recently, including Bayer, Aldi and Blue Buffalo, among others. 
  • Why: Recalls and class action lawsuits stem from a variety of concerns, primarily regarding health and safety.
  • Where: Recalls and class action lawsuits have affected pet product companies and pet owners nationwide.

If there is one thing consumers are protective of, it’s their pets. With April being National Canine Fitness Month, the health of our four-legged furry friends is once again coming first. 

Consumers are certainly not afraid to hold pet companies accountable, either, with class action lawsuits recently filed over allegations of dangerous collars and products and falsely advertised dog food and shampoo ingredients. A number of recalls have also been initiated recently over contaminated dog food.

With that in mind, Top Class Actions is looking at the pet products, which, according to recent class action lawsuits and recalls, make them the worst on the market. 

Seresto Flea Collar Connected to Thousands of Pet Deaths

Seresto first came under fire in March 2021 after a Congressional Subcommittee report linked its popular Seresto flea & tick collars to nearly 1,700 pet deaths and more than 75,000 incidences of harm since they were introduced in 2012 by former owner Bayer. 

The subcommittee’s findings came from documents disclosed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which revealed the flea & tick collars were also linked to almost 1,000 incidents of causing human harm. 

Now owned by Elanco Animal Health, Seresto flea & tick collars work by continually releasing low amounts of pesticide onto its wearer for eight months to kill the insects and arachnids. 

A class action lawsuit filed by a pet owner in May 2021; however, claims the pesticides released in the Seresto collars aren’t just killing ticks and fleas but harming pets and their owners, as well. 

The class action lawsuit references the EPA’s findings while arguing the pesticides in the collar can cause pets to suffer from rash, seizure or death

Another class action lawsuit was filed in April 2021, targeting both Bayer and Elanco with claims the companies knew when selling the collars that it could kill the pets who wore them. 

Purina, Blue Buffalo, Simply Nourish Dog Foods Have All Faced False Advertising Claims

Class action lawsuits were also filed last year against dog food manufacturers Nestle Purina and Blue Buffalo over claims the companies falsely advertised the contents of their pet foods. 

In September 2021, a group of three pet owners claimed Nestle Purina misrepresented some of its limited-ingredient dog foods as being free of grain and soy. 

Pet owners argued the dog food products, which included Purina Pro Plan and Purina Beneful brands, actually contained wheat or soy despite the representations. 

Blue Buffalo, meanwhile, was accused by a class of Canadian pet owners in April 2021 of falsely advertising that its pet foods are healthier than other brands

Canadian pet owners argued there was “no scientific basis” to Blue Buffalo’s “True Blue Promise,” which states its pet foods contain no corn, poultry byproduct meal, wheat, soy or artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. 

Simply Nourish was also accused of false marketing when, in March 2020, a pet owner claimed its pet food products were not actually “natural” as the company advertised.

The pet owner argued that, despite being labeled as “natural,” Simply Nourish pet food actually contains artificial ingredients, including folic acid and niacin, among other things.

Several of the claims against Simply Nourish were later dismissed in January 2021. 

Fromm, Freshpet, Sunshine Mills, Hill’s Pet Nutrition Dog Food Recalls

A number of dog food recalls were initiated last year over contamination concerns. 

Most recently, Nationwide voluntarily recalled in September four of its Fromm Four-Star Nutritional Shredded canned dog foods over concerns they contained elevated levels of Vitamin D

The recall ultimately took 5,500 cases of Nationwide’s Fromm Four-Star Nutritional Shredded canned dog foods off the shelves.

Freshpet also initiated a recall last year, when, in June, it recalled a single lot of its Freshpet Select Small Dog Bite Size Beef & Egg Recipe Dog Food over concerns it was contaminated with salmonella. 

The company claimed it meant to destroy the recalled product before it was originally sent out, but that some packages were “inadvertently shipped” to retailers anyway. 

That same month, salmonella contamination concerns led Sunshine Mills to initiate a voluntary recall for several of its dog food products, including Sportsman’s Pride, Sprout Sporting, Intimidator and FRM Gold Select dog foods. 

Sunshine Mills initiated the recall after a sample of its Sprout Sporting dog food tested positive for the dangerous bacteria. 

Salmonella contamination, along with listeria monocytogenes, also led Bravo Packing Inc. to conduct a recall for several of its dog food and bone products in March 2021.

Going back to 2019, pet owners came together to discuss how they were affected by a Hill’s Pet Nutrition recall done on account of elevated Vitamin D levels in several of the companies Prescription Diet and Science Diet dog food products. 

Aldi, Burt’s Bees Face Recalls, Class Actions Over Pet Products

In January, Aldi announced it was voluntarily recalling its Pure Being Cat Advent Calendars and Pure Being Dog Advent Calendars after determining they presented a choking hazard

Aldi said it was initiating the recall out of an “abundance of caution” while reassuring consumers that none of its other products were affected. 

In June 2021, meanwhile, a class action lawsuit was filed against Burt’s Bees over claims the company falsely advertised its dog shampoo as being “99.7 percent natural.” 

Pet owners claim that, rather than being nearly entirely natural, Burt’s Bees dog shampoos are mostly made up of synthetic ingredients, including coco betaine. 

Have you purchased a pet food or product that has recently been recalled or been the subject of a class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!


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386 thoughts onThese Are the Worst Pet Products on the Market Based on Recalls, Class Action Lawsuits

  1. Ann McGee says:

    Fed both my dogs grain free blue buffalo 2 years. One died of cancer and one of stroke.
    I quit blue buffalo and include brown rice now.

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