Pet Food Fraud: Attorneys Look to File Lawsuits Over Potentially False Labels
Last Updated on September 26, 2023
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.
Check back for any potential updates. The information on this page is for reference only.
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At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who purchased the dog foods listed below.
- What’s Going On?
- Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking to get class action lawsuits started on behalf of people who bought certain high-end, limited ingredient dog foods. They believe these products contain the very ingredients they are supposed to exclude, and even advertise certain proteins as the main ingredient when another protein makes up the bulk of the food.
- What Products Are We Talking About?
- The full list can be seen below.
- How Can a Class Action Help?
- A class action lawsuit could help consumers get back some of the money they spent on these dog food products. It’s believed they wouldn’t have paid as much for the food had they known the truth about what it contained.
Case Update
July 8, 2021 – Two Settlements Reached Over Dog Food Labeling Claims
Two settlements have been reached to resolve separate proposed class action lawsuits filed over the marketing and labeling of certain pet food products.
The first settlement resolves a case that alleged Diamond Pet Foods violated the law in marketing some of its products as “grain free” when grains were allegedly detected through lab tests. The settlement covers certain Taste of the Wild and Kirkland Nature’s Domain branded products. For more information on the deal and how to submit your claim, visit the official settlement website (no longer live). The deadline for filing a claim is October 4, 2021.
The second settlement resolves a case that claimed Canidae Corporation labeled some of its products in a way that led consumers to believe they were free from detectable levels of chicken and soy when these ingredients were allegedly found in the food. The deadline for filing a claim with this settlement is July 29, 2021, so head over to the official settlement website (no longer live) now to find more information on the deal and how to submit your claim.
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org would like to speak to people who bought any of the following products.
Click on the brand name to see an itemized list of all products under investigation.
American Journey
- American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Venison and Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb and Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Turkey and Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Salmon and Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey Limited Ingredient Diet Duck and Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey All Life Stages Lamb & Brown Rice Recipe
- American Journey Grain-Free, Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe
- American Journey Grain-Free, Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
CANIDAE
- CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Land Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Formula Made with Fresh Bison Dry Dog Food
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of beef and “significant” levels of corn despite claims that it’s made with fresh bison for sensitive dogs and never made with corn. The product also advertised that bison was the number one ingredient.
- CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Land with Lamb Wet Formula Simmered in Lamb Broth Canned Dog & Puppy Food
- This product was found to contain a “very high” level of turkey (much higher than lamb), as well as “significant” levels of beef and corn despite being advertised as “limited ingredient diet” product with lamb as the number one ingredient. Furthermore, the product states it does not contain fillers or grains.
- CANIDAE Grain-Free PURE Petite Small Breed Raw Coated Dry Formula with Real Lamb Dry Dog Food for Adult Dogs
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of beef, pork, and chicken, as well as a “significant” level of corn. This is despite the fact the food is advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” product with single animal protein (lamb) for pets with “sensitive tummies” and with no added corn.
- CANIDAE PURE PUPPY Real Chicken, Lentil & Whole Egg Recipe Dry Dog Food Formula with Real Chicken
- This product was found to contain duck and fish despite being advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” product with nine key ingredients for sensitive puppies.
- CANIDAE PURE Real Bison, Lentil & Carrot Recipe Dry Dog Food Formula with Real Bison for Adult Dogs
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of turkey, corn, soy and chicken despite being advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” product with bison as the number one ingredient. Furthermore, the product claims it’s never made with corn and made for sensitive dogs.
- CANIDAE PURE Real Lamb & Pea Recipe Dry Dog Food Formula with Real Lamb for Adult Dogs
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of corn, wheat, soy, beef, and pork. This is despite the food being advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” product that is never made with corn, wheat or soy and that offers a simple recipe with 10 key ingredients for sensitive dogs.
- CANIDAE PURE Real Lamb, Goat & Venison Meals Recipe Dry Dog Food Formula with Real Lamb, Goat, & Venison Meals for Adult Dogs
- This product was found to contain “significant” levels of beef, along with “very high” levels of pork, chicken, and corn. This is despite the product being advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” food that is never made with corn and that offers a simple recipe with 10 key ingredients for sensitive dogs.
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain Free Lamb Dry Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of pork, chicken, corn and beef, along with a “significant” level of wheat, despite being advertised as a grain-free, “limited ingredient diet” product with a single animal protein source (lamb). Furthermore, the product claims to have no fillers or chicken ingredients.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Canned Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of turkey, chicken and soy despite being advertised as “limited ingredient diet” product with a “venison” formula.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Duck and Potato Canned Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of chicken despite claims that it is a “limited ingredient diet” product with duck.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Buffalo and Sweet Potato Canned Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of lamb, chicken, and corn, along with “significant” levels of beef and soy, despite being advertised as a grain-free, limited ingredient diet product with no fillers and a single protein (bison).
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Bison Dry Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of lamb, along with “significant” levels of chicken and corn, despite being advertised as a grain-free, “limited ingredient diet” product with a single animal protein (bison) and no fillers. It was also found to contain duck.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain duck and fish despite being advertised as a “limited ingredient diet” food with a single animal protein (lamb) and no fillers.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Formula Small Breed Bites Dry Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of corn despite being advertised as free of corn and fillers.
- Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra-Premium Lamb Canned Dog Formula with Brown Rice, Potatoes & Carrots Wet Dog Formula
- This product was found to contain “very high” levels of corn despite corn not being a listed ingredient.
NUTRO
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Dry Dog Food Lamb & Sweet Potato Recipe
- This product was found to contain “significant” levels of chicken and corn despite being advertised as a grain-free, “limited ingredient diet” lamb recipe with no corn.
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Dry Dog Food Salmon & Lentils Recipe
- This product was found to contain no fish despite being advertised as a salmon recipe. It tested positive for a “significant” amount of turkey and “very high” levels of chicken despite those proteins not being listed as ingredients. This product claims it is made using 10 key ingredients or less and no chicken.
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Dry Dog Food Venison Meal & Sweet Potato Recipe
- This product was found to contain “significant” levels of chicken and lamb despite these proteins not being listed as ingredients. Furthermore, this product claims to be made using 10 key ingredients or less and no chicken.
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Wet Dog Food Fish & Potato Recipe Premium Loaf
- This product was found to contain no fish despite having farm-raised fish as the first ingredient. It also tested positive for “very high” levels of pork and “significant” levels of lamb despite those not being listed as ingredients. It was also found to contain “very high” levels of chicken despite being advertised as having no chicken or poultry by-products.
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Wet Dog Food Lamb & Potato Recipe Premium Loaf
- This product was found to contain “significant” levels of corn despite being advertised as having no corn.
- NUTRO Limited Ingredient Diet Adult Wet Dog Food Turkey & Potato Recipe Premium Loaf
- This product was found to contain no turkey, “very high” levels of chicken, and “significant” levels of lamb despite having farm-raised turkey as the first ingredient. Furthermore, it claims to have no chicken by-product meal.
The attorneys are also looking into Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain dog food as part of their investigation.
What’s Going On?
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have ordered independent lab tests on certain dog food products and found that they don’t match up to their labeling. Several of the tested items were advertised as being “grain free,” "soy free," "corn free," or “wheat free,” yet were found to contain these very ingredients. For instance, one of the Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance products listed above was found to contain "very high" levels of corn despite corn not being listed as an ingredient.
Likewise, some of the products listed above were advertised as containing a certain protein as their main ingredient. Testing, however, revealed some of these claims to be false. For instance, one of the NUTRO Limited Ingredient products listed above advertised turkey as its main ingredient; however, it was found to contain no turkey and was instead comprised of chicken and lamb.
In light of these findings, attorneys working with ClassAction.org are interested in filing class action lawsuits on behalf of people who purchased these products.
How Does the Labeling Affect Me?
Products, including pet food, that are advertised as being free of certain ingredients – or as including ones that are highly sought after – are generally sold at a premium price. If consumers purchased dog food that was falsely labeled as being grain-, soy- or corn- free or as containing a certain premium meat, it’s possible that they overpaid.
How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?
A class action lawsuit, if filed and successful, could help pet owners get back some of the money they spent on dog food. Further, the companies that make the food could be ordered to change their packaging or their products’ ingredients.
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