What is the Blue Buffalo 32 million dollar lawsuit

Blue Buffalo Agrees to Pay $32 Million in Settlement

The Blue Buffalo pet food company has entered into a settlement agreement in the consumer class action lawsuit brought against them (basically a false advertising lawsuit). This settlement is the largest in history, $8 million larger than the 2007 pet food recall settlement and $25.5 million larger than the 2014 Purina jerky treat settlement.

In an agreement where Blue Buffalo admits no wrong doing, the pet food company has agreed to a $32 million dollar settlement to eliminate the uncertainties, burden and expense of further litigation. The consumer lawsuit claimed that certain Blue Buffalo products were not consistent with the True Blue Promise. The amount that each class member receives will depend on the total amount of Blue Buffalo products purchased.

No pets became ill, and no pets died due to Blue Buffalo products containing by-product meal instead of chicken meal (to my knowledge). This lawsuit is (basically) reimbursement to consumers who trusted the brand was by-product free when it was discovered some of the Blue Buffalo pet foods did indeed contain by-products.

Blue Buffalo did not voluntarily issue a recall of their pet foods despite admitting publicly the foods were mislabeled (contained by-product meal instead of chicken meal as was stated on the pet food labels).

No State or Federal authority required Blue Buffalo to recall the mislabeled pet foods. It is unknown why. Mislabeling of a pet food is a violation of regulations and would be a foundation for recall.

The $32 million settlement covers seven separate consumer class action lawsuits from across the U.S. that were merged into one legal jurisdiction which happened to be in a Missouri federal court; the very same jurisdiction that the home offices of Purina Pet Foods are located in.

This consumer class action lawsuit and the subsequent $32 million dollar settlement got its footing from a Purina pet food lawsuit against Blue (which has yet to go to court).

In May of 2014, Purina Pet Food filed a lawsuit against Blue Buffalo claiming Blues pet food contained by-products when Blues advertising proclaimed No Chicken/Poultry By-Product Meals. Purina claimed they had laboratory testing proving some varieties of Blue Buffalo pet foods contained materials that are by-products. As the pet food versus pet food lawsuit continued, we learned that Blue Buffalo did indeed contain by-products however the blame was placed on an ingredient provider Wilbur Ellis corporation. The consumer class action lawsuits followed when the by-product meal debacle was announced.

We can assume that the settlement amount $32 million is based on the number of consumers in the multiple class action lawsuits and based on how many bags of pet foods they purchased (how much money the consumers spent) on mislabeled pet foods. We can also assume that Blue Buffalo will recover every dime (and then some) in their own lawsuit against the pet food ingredient supplier Wilbur Ellis (the company that sold them by-product meal instead of chicken meal).

Questions: Should Blue Buffalo be able to sue the ingredient supplier for the $32 million settlement amount (or more)? It appears that Wilbur Ellis did sell Blue the wrong ingredient, butwhat financial responsibility do you believe Blue Buffalo should bear solely themselves in this situation? Whose ultimate responsibility is it for the final products that consumers purchase (the ingredient providers or the pet food manufacturer or both)?

As exampleif a pet food ingredient supplier sold an ingredient to a pet food manufacturer that was contaminated with Salmonella, and the end product (the pet food) tested positive for Salmonella only the pet food would be held accountable, not the ingredient provider. Sois Wilbur Ellis selling Blue Buffalo the wrong ingredient Blue Buffalos responsibility or the ingredient providers responsibility?

Purina made the following statement regarding the Blue Buffalo lawsuit settlement: Purina is pleased Blue Buffalo is beginning to accept responsibility for its false advertising and mislabeling. I would agree Purina, I would guess most consumers are also pleased Blue Buffalo is beginning to accept responsibility for its false advertising and mislabeled pet foods. But, Id guess that most consumers would also ask you Purinawhen are you going to begin to accept responsibility for Beneful dog food and the many pet deaths linked to that pet food? The mere $6.5 million Purina/Waggin Train jerky treat settlement admitted no fault by Purina. Where is your own acceptance of responsibility to the many pets that died from consuming Waggin Train jerky treats? And one more, when will Purina properly label its own brands calling them dog and cat feed? Isnt a pet product termed food that does not meet any legal definition of food also false advertising and mislabeling?

A few more questions

This Blue Buffalo settlement agreement with consumers (for mislabeled pet foods) is the largest pet food class action settlement in history. It is larger than the 2007 pet food recall class action settlement by $8 million. It is larger than the 2014 class action settlement of Waggin Train jerky treats by $25.5 million.

Blue Buffalo in my opinion certainly owes consumers every dime back consumers spent on a mislabeled and mis-advertised pet food. But didnt the pet owners in the 2007 pet food recall class action deserve every dime back they spent on vet bills? Didnt the Waggin Train jerky treat class action pet owners deserve every dime back they spent on vet bills? Both of these settlements resulted in pennies to the dollar in return to heartbroken consumers for hard costs, not even considering the pain and agony watching their pets suffer and many die.

Is the judicial system placing a significantly higher financial penalty on companies that lie to or mislead consumers (on pet food labels and/or in advertising) than on companies whose products actual sicken or kill pets? If so, is this due to the legal issue that our pets are considered property with little or no monetary value?

Or is it that the judicial system is getting tougher on pet food companies as each lawsuit comes and goes?

One thing is for certain, our pet food regulatory system is a mess. Many of these issues should be caught by state and federal regulatory authorities long before the products reach consumers. It has been proven time and time again that pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers can quickly become reckless. How many lawsuits and pet deaths will it take for authorities to realize the current system of pet food regulating themselves isnt working?

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan ThixtonPet Food Safety AdvocateAuthor Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsibleTruthaboutPetFood.comAssociation for Truth in Pet Food

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Blue Buffalo Dog Food Lawsuit: Everything You Should Know

You may have seen a very interesting statement by the U.S. Dog Food Association, Congress Should Not Allow Courts to Decide Whether Dog Food Companies are Under-Responsible.

In other words, if we are not under-responsive to our dogs, theyshould be allowed to sue for lack of quality?

Well that is interesting, isnt it?

Im sure you could see a flaw in that argument, but in truth, there would be a large flaw in that argument if the said organization said they dont care if they are selling pet food that is unsafe for our pets or food that will be poisoning them and/or other pets.

This type of hypocrisy is disturbing and as more individuals tobuy into the new pet food market and become aware of the dangers, it is goingto be quite challenging to continue such a position.

There are other lawsuits involving pet food that have already been filed and it appears to me that in this case, the dog food companies are going to have a hard time putting their name on the line and defend their actions.

Even if they were to win in court, is the person or company liable for the injuries and death that have occurred?

Or, can you sue for the minor problem when the dog ingested a deadly amount of poison or died because of improper feeding practices?

These types of questions should be answered by our legislators to protect not only our dogs but to protect ourselves and our families from the pet food industry.

And now that the U.S. dog food lawsuit has surfaced, who is actually responsible for the safety of our pets and the products that they ingest.

It seems that our legislators have chosen to leave that decision up to the American people.

Well, I dont know about you, but I think we would all benefit from seeing a dog food lawsuit filed because the consumer is the one who has rights.

When consumers are given more choices, we will find out if the choices are as good as advertised.

Why do we need a dog food lawsuit? Because we need to put an endto the fact that we have pet food manufacturers who think that selling theirtainted pet food products are just fine and nobody has the right to sue them.

We must continue to pursue this dog food lawsuit until theconsumers rights are protected and our pets are safe from eating poisonous petfood products. Please consider all this.

Does Blue Buffalo cause cancer in dogs?

When you start looking at information on this question, you willsee that the only conclusion you can come to is that there is no definitiveanswer.

However, there are some statements that you should be able tomake about Blue Buffalo products that will help you know whether they cause cancerin dogs.

That being said, if you want to protect your dog from cancer, itis best to purchase the food in the lowest quantity possible, and allow it toage naturally.

First, some background on the Blue Buffalo brand. Blue Buffalohas a long history of excellence and in the process has learned a lot aboutproper ingredients and manufacturing.

Blue Buffalo products include premium natural foods for dogsincluding the name brand, Ralston Purina Pro Plan (a popular formula that hasbeen recommended by veterinarians).

The company is very consistent in maintaining its ethical standards and quality standards and has been rated as one of the Top 10 Pet Suppliers by Pet Shopper Magazine.

In addition, many pet owners have grown to love its quality and take pleasure in its taste.

What about the questions about whether Blue Buffalo causes cancer in dogs?

Blue Buffalo products include a variety of chicken-free formulas, using quality natural chicken from around the world.

The Company is well aware that a lot of dog owners feel that the use of chicken products contributes to the development of cancer, and the answer is yes.

This includes dogs that have stomach ulcers or other conditionswhere there is an inflammation of the stomach lining.

The reason this happens is because the products that BlueBuffalo manufactures contain anti-oxidants, which may help to reduceinflammation and may reduce the number of cancerous cells in the stomach.

When it comes to the Blue Buffalo dog food products, the primary ingredients are chicken and rice. For people who worry about certain types of cancer, there are no such problems associated with these products.

They also feature alfalfa meal, natural wheat, and a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are beneficial to dogs of all ages.

The bottom line is that, whether Blue Buffalo causes cancer in dogs, depends on the individual dog.

But, when you look at the ingredients of the products, it is certainly in the safe range, according to the FDA.

The company offers a variety of meats, including beef, lamb, pork, turkey, and chicken, and the company has made the necessary decisions to source those items from organic sources.

And if you want to avoid an allergic reaction, the company provides a variety of oils and extracts.

As for the Blue Buffalo Purina Pro Plan, the most importantthing you need to do is to read and follow the ingredients, as you would forany dog food.

You should be aware that although the Pro Plan caters to a largebreed dog that needs lots of protein, it also provides additional vitamins andminerals in the form of several nutritional supplements, including fish oil,cod liver oil, and flaxseed.

The Omega 3 fatty acids in flaxseed help to prevent and treatmany common and rare canine diseases.

There are no claims about whether Blue Buffalo causes cancer indogs. However, we have discussed the content of the two products, and if youhave a dog that is allergic to the rice-based diet or has a health conditionthat requires additional levels of nutrients, then the Pro Plan is a goodchoice.

You may also want to consider the lower cost of purchasing BlueBuffalo for your puppy versus other pet food companies.

Does Blue Buffalo dog food have leadin it?

If you have a dog that seems to be anxious all the time and doesnt like to eat when you give it food or becomes clingy and snuggle with you when you are around, you may want to check your dogs food for lead.

It is best to find out as soon as possible if your dog has been exposed to any lead poisoning. Knowing this can help you stop the exposure.

What you need to do is to change your dogs normal dog food for an organic, GMO free dog food.

You also need to add herbs and green vegetables to your dogs diet. Also, make sure that you are using a good dog bedding like pongee.

However, even with this, your dog will probably continue to beanxious and clingy.

You will want to also increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in your dogs diet.

Also, make sure that you are giving your dog plenty of water. If your dog is consuming too much, this can actually cause diarrhea in your dog. This may not be too fun for your dog and can cause discomfort for you.

Some people think that canned dog food does not have lead in it, but it can sometimes have lead in it.

Some canned foods will use a byproduct from the manufacturing process called-made-in-China (BIC) food.

While this type of food is fine for your dog, it can containpesticide residues and BPA. In fact, some studies suggest that some of theseBIC foods actually contain higher levels of lead than traditional non-organiccanned foods.

One concern is that using organic foods like Blue Buffalo dog food with BIC ingredients might be dangerous to your dog.

While there are many other brands of non-organic canned foods available, we have found Blue Buffalo is among the best.

You also want to look for a food that is certified organic. Youcan check with your local USDA/ARS office to see if your dog food meets thecertification standards for organic.

When you choose Blue Buffalo food you will have the assurance thatyour dog will not be exposed to lead. You can be assured that your dog isgetting the best nutrition that it needs, plus all the antioxidants andvitamins that your dog needs.

Is Blue Buffalo dog food bad for yourdog?

When you are looking for a good dog food recipe, you will be wanting to know whether or not Blue Buffalo is the right brand for your dog.

You will want to know whether or not this brand is better than other brands and what kind of ingredients they use. There are some tips that can help you make this decision.

First of all, you should find out whether or not Blue Buffalo dog food is actually bad for your dog.

If you believe it is, you should read up on the various Blue Buffalo dog food ingredients so that you can find out whether or not they are safe for your dog.

If you choose to feed your dog with this brand, you shouldconsider using a homemade dog food diet.

When you first see that Blue Buffalo dog food does not containany harmful ingredients, you might decide to purchase it. However, it might notbe the best brand for your dog. You will need to check to see what the otherchoices are before you make the choice.

You should also look into how other people feel about BlueBuffalo. This should help you determine whether or not you are making the rightchoice for your dog. You should compare the various opinions as well as findout what exactly your dogs diet consists of.

Another thing that you should think about when it comes to BlueBuffalo dog food is the cost. You may be thinking that you cannot afford it,but you should be able to find a cheaper option. If you are looking for a cheapalternative, you should start by looking at recipes online for your dog.

A lot of people are looking to replace their dogs diet with recipes so that they can eat less.

You should make sure that the meals are all nutritious and that they are nutritious enough. You should find a good meal replacement and then begin to cook them for your dog.

Conclusion

When you look at Blue Buffalo dog food recipes, you will find that they are good, but you may have to get creative.

If you cant find something that you like, you should look at recipes that you think your dog would like.

This will help you get a variety of ingredients that you can usefor the recipes so that you can be sure that your dog will eat them.

The last thing that you should think about when you are looking at Blue Buffalo dog food is the ingredients that they use.

You should find out what the different ingredients are so that you can compare them to recipes that you already have.

You should try to find out what are the benefits of theseingredients and you should then be able to make the decision that is best foryour dog.