Nestle, Pedigree, others face pet-related class actions, recalls

Pet class action lawsuits, recalls overview: 

• Who: Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits involving Nestlé Purina Petcare, Big Heart Pet Brands, Mid-America Pet Food and Nutramax Laboratories. Bausch + Lomb and Mars Petcare also recently initiated a recall.
• Why: The class action lawsuits and recalls involve noxious odors, false advertising and contamination concerns involving salmonella, bacteria, fungi and loose metal pieces.
• Where: The pet class action lawsuits were filed in U.S. federal courts. 

A number of class action lawsuits and recalls involving pet food have recently been in the news. 

The class action lawsuits and recalls involve salmonella, bacteria, fungi and loose metal pieces contamination, noxious odors and false marketing and advertising. 

Colorado Nestlé Purina Petcare facility emits noxious odors, class action claims

A pair of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Nestlé Purina Petcare Co. in late May over claims its Colorado facility emits noxious odors the company neither controls nor mitigates. 

The class action lawsuit argues more than 2,000 households are located within a mile of the Denver facility and residents filed numerous complaints over the years about the odor. 

“A properly designed, operated and maintained pet food manufacturing facility will adequately capture, remove and dispose excess noxious emissions and will not emit noxious odors into the ambient air as fugitive emissions,” the Nestlé class action says.

Pup-Peroni dog food doesn’t use real beef as advertised, class action says

A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Big Heart Pet Brands Inc. in April over claims the company falsely advertises its Pup-Peroni dog food uses real beef as its top ingredient. 

The class action lawsuit argues the top ingredient in Pup-Peroni dog food is actually feed-grade beef, which is allegedly lower quality and requires intense processing, decreasing its nutritional integrity and potentially creating harmful substances. 

“Plaintiff is like most consumers who are unaware that the beef used in the product is feed-grade beef of lower quality and type than the type of beef she would purchase or consume for herself,” the Pup-Peroni class action says. 

Mid-America Pet Food responsible for salmonella contamination, class action claims

A group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Mid-America Pet Food in April over claims the company failed to properly handle its pet food products, leading to salmonella contamination. 

The class action lawsuit claims Mid-America was unable to take the necessary steps to prevent a series of recalls last year related to salmonella contamination. 

“If plaintiff had known that the pet food products contained salmonella contaminants or that defendant failed to inspect and test the pet food products and ingredients for contaminants adequately, plaintiff would not have purchased the pet food products,” the Mid-America class action says. 

Class certification upheld for claims Nutramax falsely markets pet health supplements

A class of pet owners had their class certification upheld by a 9th Circuit panel in April for a class action lawsuit they filed against Nutramax Laboratories Inc. and Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences Inc.

The class action lawsuit claims Nutramax falsely markets its Cosequin pet health supplement products work to promote healthy joints and mobility in dogs. 

Nutramax unsuccessfully argued the district court was wrong to rely on a proposed damages model that was created by the plaintiffs’ expert to find that common questions predominated as to injury. 

“The panel held that, contrary to Nutramax’s contention, there was no general requirement that an expert actually apply to the proposed class an otherwise reliable damages model in order to demonstrate that damages are susceptible to common proof at the class certification stage,” the 9th Circuit wrote. 

Bausch + Lomb recalls Project Watson Eyelid Wipes for dogs over bacteria, fungi concerns

Bausch + Lomb issued a recall for around 32,000 units of Project Watson Eyelid Wipes for dogs last month over concerns bacteria and fungi could be introduced to their containers, posing an infection risk. 

The recall involves Project Watson Eyelid Wipes for dogs sold in 45-count containers with a lot number of either A09050 or A10055 printed on the bottom. 

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Bausch + Lomb dog eyelid wipes and request a refund by submitting a picture of the product on a website set up for the recall prior to disposing of the wipes. 

Mars Petcare recalls Pedigree dog food over loose metal pieces 

Mars Petcare US issued a voluntary recall in May for 315 bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food over concerns the dog food may have been contaminated with loose metal pieces. 

The recall involves Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food packaged in a 44-lb. bag with a lot code of 410B2TXT02 and best-by date of March 4, 2025.

Walmarts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas sold the recalled pet food. Consumers should stop using the recalled Pedigree dog food and monitor the behavior of pets who may have eaten it. 

Are you affected by a recent pet-related class action lawsuit or recall? Let us know in the comments.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Wells Fargo class action alleges bank participated in $300M Ponzi scheme
• FTC refunds | May 2024
• Utah sues TikTok over claims it profits from child sex trafficking
• Class Action Rebates | June 2024