Class Action: Nylabone ‘Natural’ Dog Treats, Dental Products Contain Synthetic Ingredients

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Nylabone Corp.’s “natural” dental solutions and treats for dogs are the subject of a proposed class action lawsuit that claims the products, unbeknownst to consumers, contain synthetic ingredients.

According to the lawsuit, Nylabone has attempted to capitalize on consumers’ desire for safer and healthier pet products by marketing its dental sprays, chews, toothpastes, treats and chew toys as “natural.” The case argues that despite “natural” representations on the products’ packaging, the items contain a plethora of synthetic ingredients, including glycerin, calcium carbonate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, and zinc oxide.

The case claims reasonable consumers would assume a product labeled as “natural” would contain only naturally derived ingredients, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture has loosely defined as substances that were “manufactured, produced, or extracted from a natural source” and have not undergone a chemical change that altered their chemical or structural makeup, unless the change was caused by a biological process. According to the complaint, many of the ingredients in Nylabone’s products do not meet those requirements.

Due to the defendant’s “natural” representations on the products’ packaging, consumers, the lawsuit alleges, have been misled into purchasing items they otherwise would not have bought or for which they would have paid less. The suit stresses that even though the ingredients at issue are listed on the back of the products’ labels, the average buyer would be unable to discern whether each component is natural.

“Discovering that the ingredients are not natural and are actually synthetic requires a scientific investigation and knowledge of chemistry beyond that of the average consumer,” the complaint states. “That is why, even though the ingredients listed above are identified on the back of the Products' packaging in the ingredients listed, the reasonable consumer would not understand — and is not, and should not be, expected to understand — that these ingredients are synthetic.”

The lawsuit seeks to cover anyone who purchased one of the products listed in the complaint “within the applicable statute of limitations.”

The full list of products and their allegedly synthetic ingredients can be found here.

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