UPDATE:
- The Court approved this settlement Aug. 4, 2021.
A judge has certified a class action lawsuit accusing Blue Buffalo of falsely advertising the content of its pet food products.
Superior Court Judge Calum MacLeod certified the Class on April 15, 2021.
The certification establishes a nationwide Class of purchasers of the Blue Buffalo products before September 2019. This applies only to the complaints of false advertising, not to complaints of the content of the products actually causing harm to pets.
The class action lawsuit, filed in February 2016, argued that Blue Buffalo’s labelling, advertising, and promotion of its pet food as a healthy alternative to other brands were false and misleading.
The lead plaintiff claims Blue Buffalo’s “True Blue Promise” that the products contain no poultry byproduct meal, corn, wheat, soy, or artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors has no scientific basis.
In fact, the class action lawsuit states, the Blue Buffalo products actually contain “substantial amounts” of poultry by-product meal, as well as corn, rice, grains, artificial preservatives, and other ingredients that contradict the company’s “True Blue Promise.”
Nearly 4,000 Class Members already have registered with Class counsel, Judge MacLeod wrote.
If the settlement is approved, Class Members will be able to object to the settlement or to opt out of it, according to Judge MacLeod’s endorsement.
These Class Members will be entitled to “modest payments… without the need to submit a claim form or proof of purchase,” according to the endorsement.
A notice is expected to go out by April 30, 2021.
A hearing to approve the Blue Buffalo false advertising settlement is scheduled for July 29, 2021.
Do you buy Blue Buffalo pet food? Tell us about your experience with the product in the comment section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Jeff Orenstein and Andrea Grass.
The Blue Buffalo False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Brian Hardwick, et al. v. Blue Buffalo Co. Ltd., et al., Case No. 16-67441, in the Superior Court of Justice for the Court of Ontario.
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95 thoughts onBlue Buffalo False Advertising Class Action Certified in Canada
My perfectly fine shih tzu died to to a heart tumor that developed what seemed over night. We went through 9 months of hell with treatments for him as surgery was two risky. The special cardiologist we had to take him too said it was most likely from the food. As they had seen an increase in heart failure with their patients and blue buffalo grain free was a common denominator. We lost Dexter 4 years ago today and we are still shattered. Our perfectly healthy boy that was never sick, had a heart tumor. 9 months and close to $16,000 still couldn’t save him.