Summary: Purina is facing a lawsuit claiming their Beneful dog food is toxic.
Purina is once again facing a class-action lawsuit over the quality of their pet food. They are hoping to have it once again dismissed. Specifically, Nestle Purina PetCare Company is defending its Beneful dog food, which pet owner Frank Lucido, of California, is claiming poisoned his dogs, making two sick and killing the third.
While the suit isn’t specifying what exactly is toxic in the food, Lucido’s lawyer, Jeffrey B. Cereghino, is claiming that the three dogs, though each in different living arrangements, all ate the same food and all fell sick. “All three of them weren’t exposed to a singular condition. The one constant they had was they were all eating the same dog food.”
Beneful dog food received only one out of five stars on customer satisfaction from over 800 reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com, with complaints ranging like Lucido’s from illness to death. “When there’s been a crescendo of complaints you have to pay attention,” his lawyer told NBC News.
Purina, for their part, claim the suit is “baseless” and that they “intend to vigorously defend our high quality, nutritious food.”
In a statement on Facebook, they said, “A class action lawsuit was recently filed against Beneful. We believe this lawsuit to be baseless and intend to vigorously defend our high quality, nutritious food, which is backed by Purina’s strict quality controls and comprehensive food safety program. Beneful is enjoyed by millions of dogs every day and consumers can continue to feed Beneful with total confidence. We encourage you to reach us with any questions at 1-800-877-7551 or visit: http://puri.na/BenefulFAQ.”
They likewise claimed in a statement sent to Snopes.com that “We believe the lawsuit is baseless, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our brand. Beneful had two previous class action suits filed in recent years with similar baseless allegations, and both were dismissed by the courts. Class action suits are common in business these days. They are not indicative of a product issue.”
News Source: Christian Science Monitor