Class Action: Iams Uses Forced Labor in Cat Food Supply Chain

Last Thursday, two cat owners filed a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of Iams cat food. The Iams cat food lawsuit alleges that the company did not warn consumers that the fish used in the making of the cat food could rely on forced or “slave” labor.

The Iams cat food class action lawsuit came about after plaintiffs Christina Wirth and Adam Wagner became aware of a news story that described terrible conditions on fishing boats in Thailand. These apparent forced labor practices depicted in The New York Times news article got the plaintiffs thinking about the supply chain for the cat food they used for their pets.

According to the Iams class action lawsuit, the workers on fishing boats are faced with daily brutal conditions, with work hours up to 20 per day, with little to no pay. If a fisherman’s work is not up to the satisfaction of the supervisor, the workers are allegedly disciplined by being beaten or sometimes murdered for their shortcomings.

The class action lawsuit was filed against Iams Company and parent companies Mars Inc. and Mars Petcare US Inc. as well as the former parent company Procter & Gamble. Procter & Gamble sold their company to Mars in 2014.

Wirth and Wagner assert that they would not have purchased the cat food from Iams if they had been made aware that the source of their food was sourced from where employers forced to perform in terrible working conditions.

“And when these food conglomerates fail to disclose the use of slave labor in their supply chains to consumers, they are deceived into buying products they would not have otherwise and are thereby supporting slave labor themselves through their product purchases,” Wirth and Wagner allege in the class action lawsuit. “Such food conglomerates should be required to make restitution to the consumers they have deceived and to ensure the absence of slave labor in their supply chains going forward.”

The plaintiffs have brought forth three counts against the companies. The alleged use of sea slaves and nondisclosure of the supply chain working conditions were mentioned in violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and violations of the False Advertising Law.

The Iams cat food lawsuit seeks to certify a Class of consumers who purchased one or more of the affected Iams cat food products and further demands that the defendants cease unfair marketing and sale of the items, awarding restitution to consumers who purchased the cat food, and reimburse for attorney-related fees.

A similar proposed class action lawsuit was also filed by the same lawyers last month against Nestle USA Inc. and Nestle Purina Petcare Co. also for the companies’ alleged use of forced labor in supply chains and subsequent nondisclosure to consumers.

The plaintiffs are represented by Steve W. Berman, Ashley A. Bede, laine T. Byszewski and Christopher Pitoun of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.

The Iams Cat Food Class Action Lawsuit is Christina Wirth and Adam Wagner, et al. v. Mars Inc., et al., Case No. 8:15-cv-1470, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.