Nestlé Purina defends itself against class-action lawsuit

The pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina Petcare is facing a class-action lawsuit brought by dog owners in the USA. The claim made against the group is that its Beneful brand of dog food causes poisoning in dogs, leading to internal bleeding and liver failure. The claim is for around € 5 mio and has been initiated by an American dog owner whose pet died in January and who attributes its death to feeding on Beneful. The pet food manufacturer has refuted the claim vigorously in a statement. “We are convinced that the class-action suit in the USA is without merit and we will defend our dog food. Our food is subjected to stringent quality controls and a comprehensive quality assurance programme. Beneful is consumed by millions of dogs each year and owners can continue to feed it without concern.” Class-action lawsuits are common in the US world of business, but do not permit any conclusions to be drawn regarding product quality. “As is the case with pet food in general, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social-media-driven misinformation. Online posts often contain misleading and false assumptions that can cause groundless concerns and confusion for our consumers,” says the company.