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tencats

(567 posts)
Tue May 6, 2014, 11:01 PM May 2014

Purina suing Blue Buffalo "misled consumers in its advertisements marketing its healthy pet foods"

In the News
Purina Lawsuit Claims Blue Buffalo Is Misleading Customers About Its Natural Ingredients
By Ashlee Kieler May 6, 2014
http://consumerist.com/2014/05/06/purina-lawsuit-claims-blue-buffalo-is-misleading-customers-about-its-natural-ingredients/

Nestle’s Purina PetCare division filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging competitor Blue Buffalo misled consumers in its advertisements marketing its healthy food line.

Purina slammed Blue Buffalo, alleging the company “repeatedly and unequivocally state(s) that its pet food products contain ‘NO Chicken/Poultry By-Product Meals,’” when laboratory tests show that its “Pet Protection” line in fact “contained significant percentages of poultry by-product meal.” If true, the allegations would deal a significant blow to Blue Buffalo’s advertising that its products “only (use) the finest natural ingredients.”

In addition to the claim about poultry by-products, Purina also alleged Blue Buffalo’s vow to not use corn was debunked in laboratory tests that found corn in the company’s “LifeSource Bits.”

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Purina suing Blue Buffalo "misled consumers in its advertisements marketing its healthy pet foods" (Original Post) tencats May 2014 OP
If there really is poultry by-product meal, a lawsuit isn't the correct remedy jmowreader May 2014 #1
Blue boasts that it is "healthy and holistic" but does this really mean anything? tencats May 2014 #2
Thanks for posting this Sanity Claws May 2014 #3
I'm in the process of moving our dogs off Blue Buffalo to a different dog food phylny May 2014 #5
Does your KC May 2014 #6
Merrick - see my post #7 TorchTheWitch May 2014 #9
Same here - Merrick. phylny May 2014 #10
I wasn't at all happy with Blue's dry foods TorchTheWitch May 2014 #7
Not that Purina has much of a leg to stand on when it comes to ingredients. hobbit709 May 2014 #4
really! "by-products" TorchTheWitch May 2014 #8
Blue Buffalo is also suing them back. lol! glinda May 2014 #11

jmowreader

(50,451 posts)
1. If there really is poultry by-product meal, a lawsuit isn't the correct remedy
Tue May 6, 2014, 11:17 PM
May 2014

Criminal prosecution for fraud would be; those guys are highly emphatic that their food is poultry byproduct meal-free.

tencats

(567 posts)
2. Blue boasts that it is "healthy and holistic" but does this really mean anything?
Tue May 6, 2014, 11:53 PM
May 2014

Pet owners blame Blue Buffalo for their animals' illnesses; FDA expresses concern about continuing pet food issues
From ConsumerAffairs 03/13/2013 | ConsumerAffairs | Pet Food Recalls

Blue Buffalo is the latest pet food to be hit with a wave of consumer complaints alleging that pets became ill and, sometimes, died after eating it, even though the company has assured consumers the food is safe and the Food and Drug Administration has no record of any recent recalls or safety warnings.
Read more here http://tinyurl.com/nyz96y8

phylny

(8,353 posts)
5. I'm in the process of moving our dogs off Blue Buffalo to a different dog food
Wed May 7, 2014, 09:14 AM
May 2014

because our vet told me that she and her partner have seen a great number of urinary tract infections among the dogs who have been consuming it.

KC

(1,995 posts)
6. Does your
Thu May 8, 2014, 12:57 AM
May 2014

vet have any other suggestion about what food to switch to instead of the Blue Buffalo? I read this article yesterday and got really angry since I thought it was supposed to also be grain free. I'm planning to take the cans back to PetSmart
and get something else. I just don't know now. My dog liked Wellness in the beginning and then started not eating it.
Do you have idea about which food you'll switch to?

TorchTheWitch

(11,065 posts)
9. Merrick - see my post #7
Reply to KC (Reply #6)
Thu May 8, 2014, 03:14 AM
May 2014

There's likely other good foods that are still made in the company's own facilities.

phylny

(8,353 posts)
10. Same here - Merrick.
Thu May 8, 2014, 07:22 PM
May 2014

Merrick has been a quality dog food for a long time

I didn't ask the vet because they carry Science Diet

TorchTheWitch

(11,065 posts)
7. I wasn't at all happy with Blue's dry foods
Thu May 8, 2014, 03:09 AM
May 2014

Yoshi had problems with one of their dry foods. I asked the guy that owns the little specialty pet stuff shop that is mostly food what he recommended, and he advised Merrick because they still make it in their own kitchens whereas when Blue Buffalo was taken over by another family member they started farming out the manufacturing of their foods to the same giant plants that make all the other crap on supermarket shelves. These giant plants have big problems with maintaining sanitation or even mixing different foods in clean vats after it was just used to make some other food for who knows what other company.

Yoshi has been getting the duck and sweet potato Merrick dry food since he went to adult dog food and has never had anything but great results. He also loves it like crazy, always eats every crumb and licks the bowl of every molecule after. I also like it that it's in very small bits to make it easier and faster to digest. Yoshi has always been a damn picky eater when it comes to his dog food though he'll happily eat dirt, plants, tree bark, chewing gum that people spit out on the street (ooo, what a treat! gack) or any damn thing he finds on our walks. Last night he noshed on something that looked like a balled up kleenex so fast that it went down his gullet faster than I could get my hand to his face to take it away.... he's learned to be REALLY fast at snarfing down weird stuff he finds to eat on our walks, so I always have to keep a sharp eye out and steer him away from anything he might decide to eat. Every once in awhile I don't see something that he finds, and in a flash it's down his throat.

Pets can also get problems when their food or water bowls aren't cleaned and sanitized every day. I'm amazed at so many people I know that NEVER clean or sanitize their dog or cat's food bowls when the eat dry food and NEVER do it for their water bowl either. That's where bacteria and other crap can get in. And most people also feed their pets in the kitchen where who knows what chemicals or whatever are getting into their empty bowls. I've noticed that if I don't clean his water bowl every day before refilling it with fresh water it gets a scum on the inside you can feel from his saliva or food particles getting in the water when he drinks from the bowl and only a couple of days for bacteria from that to start making that scum. I've also noticed that he won't drink from his bowl if I forget to clean it every day and will insist he gets fresh water from the tub faucet. He can tell when something isn't right about the water in his bowl.

I'm soooooo envious of his perfect potty habits. I just got a new bag of food for him yesterday and joked with the owner of the shop that I was thinking of eating it myself just for that.

TorchTheWitch

(11,065 posts)
8. really! "by-products"
Thu May 8, 2014, 03:12 AM
May 2014

That's beaks, feet, feathers, innards, and whatever crap is scraped off the floor. I'll NEVER give my doggie anything that says "by-products" of some animal.

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