Nestlé Purina PetCare Company Headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri |
Advertisement four months after
outbreak of lawsuits.
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In year 2015, Nestlé PetCare Purina Company was faced with multiple lawsuits on their dog food product, the Beneful Series Dry Kibble. The dry kibble variations named in the suit include Purina Beneful Healthy Weight, Purina Beneful Original, Purina Beneful Incredibites, and Purina Beneful Healthy Growth For Puppies, Purina Beneful Healthy Smile, Purina Beneful Healthy Fiesta, Purina Beneful Healthy Radiance, and Purina Beneful Playful Life. Within these lawsuits from states including California, Massachusetts, Missouri and more, the common allegations was that Beneful was manufactured with harmful toxins like propylene glycol and mycotoxin that caused illness and/or death. In addition to the lawsuits, more than 3000 pet owners had complained through the safety reports of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and ConsumerAffairs.com about their dogs getting sick after switching solely to Beneful. The most recent death reported was today, April 5, 2018. The dogs that were sick shared symptoms of kidney failure, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach related internal bleeding, weight loss and liver malfunction. Even though this chemical was listed as a safe substance by the FDA, there are research that have shown positive and negative effects of these chemicals. Because the effect of sickness happened after the pets solely consumed Purina, for 3000 times, as a same pattern of sickness, it is highly likely that Purina does have dangerous substances in their dog food. Moreover, on April 21, 2016, the FDA published a report after finding overdosage of cyanuric acid and melamine in six samples of Beneful Series Dry Kibble. However, the only response from Nestlé Purina PetCare Company was an arrogant short statement, saying "Vets know pets get sick for many reasons and the food they eat is often not the root cause".
Individualism: This ethical framework argues that “business actions should maximize profits or the owners of a business, but do so within the law”. Nestlé Purina was unethical because it violated two rules and regulations while attempting to maximize profits. According to the FDA report, six samples of the Beneful Series Dry Kibble had cyanuric acid and melamine ‘above the allowable level’. According to the president of TruthAboutPetFood.com, these were “the two deadliest adulterants in the history of pet food”. Also, the report also stated that the samples collected “contained ethoxyquin; [and it] was not indicated on the product labeling”. This violates another tule because the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) required that the full ingredient list to be labeled on food packages but Nestlé Purina did not follow this rule.
A dog consuming dry kibble of the Beneful series. |
A picture on their website stating their slogan: "Your Pet, Our Passion". |
An example of the Beneful series dry kibble:
Purina Beneful Healthy Weight
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References:
Carey, Gillam. “California dog owner alleges Purina Beneful pet food can kill.” Reuters, 25 Feb. 2015, www.reuters.com/article/usa-purina-lawsuit/california-dog-owner-alleges-purina-beneful-pet-food-can-kill-idUSL1N0VZ1LL20150225. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Company Overview of Nestle Purina PetCare Company.” Bloomberg,www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=33452.Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
“Dog Owners Alarmed at Beneful Lawsuit as Purina Denies Claims.” NBC News. 8 Mar. 2015. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dog-owners-alarmed-beneful-lawsuit-purina-denies-claims-n316856. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Laine, Samantha. Purina lawsuit: Does one of its products cause pets to become ill? The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb. 2015, www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0225/Purina-lawsuit-Does-one-of-its-products-cause-pets-to-become-ill. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Lawsuit Claims Purina’s Beneful is Poisoning, Killing Dogs.” NBC News. 24 Feb. 2015,www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuit-claims-purinas-beneful-poisoning-killing-dogs-n312176. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Lawsuit Claims Purina Beneful Pet Food Sickens Kills Dogs.” CBS News, 25 Feb. 2015,www.cbsnews.com/news/lawsuit-claims-purina-beneful-pet-food-sickens-kills-dogs. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Lupkin, Sydney. “Lawsuit Claims Beneful Dog Food Kills Pets”, ABC News, 24 Feb.2015.
Salazar, Heather. “The Business Ethics Case Manual.” n.d. Silva, Daniella. “Purina Backs Beneful Dog Food as Lawsuit Expands Allegations.” NBC News, 14 Jun. 2015, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/purina-backs-beneful-lawsuit-expands-allegations-n375101. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Thixton, Susan. “FDA Releases Concerning Information
About Beneful.” Truth About Pet Food. http://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-releases-concerning-information-about-beneful. Accessed
4 Mar. 2018.'
Carey, Gillam. “California dog owner alleges Purina Beneful pet food can kill.” Reuters, 25 Feb. 2015, www.reuters.com/article/usa-purina-lawsuit/california-dog-owner-alleges-purina-beneful-pet-food-can-kill-idUSL1N0VZ1LL20150225. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Company Overview of Nestle Purina PetCare Company.” Bloomberg,www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=33452.Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
“Dog Owners Alarmed at Beneful Lawsuit as Purina Denies Claims.” NBC News. 8 Mar. 2015. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dog-owners-alarmed-beneful-lawsuit-purina-denies-claims-n316856. Accessed 3 Mar. 2018.
Laine, Samantha. Purina lawsuit: Does one of its products cause pets to become ill? The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb. 2015, www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0225/Purina-lawsuit-Does-one-of-its-products-cause-pets-to-become-ill. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Lawsuit Claims Purina’s Beneful is Poisoning, Killing Dogs.” NBC News. 24 Feb. 2015,www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuit-claims-purinas-beneful-poisoning-killing-dogs-n312176. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
“Lawsuit Claims Purina Beneful Pet Food Sickens Kills Dogs.” CBS News, 25 Feb. 2015,www.cbsnews.com/news/lawsuit-claims-purina-beneful-pet-food-sickens-kills-dogs. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Lupkin, Sydney. “Lawsuit Claims Beneful Dog Food Kills Pets”, ABC News, 24 Feb.2015.
Salazar, Heather. “The Business Ethics Case Manual.” n.d. Silva, Daniella. “Purina Backs Beneful Dog Food as Lawsuit Expands Allegations.” NBC News, 14 Jun. 2015, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/purina-backs-beneful-lawsuit-expands-allegations-n375101. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.
Thixton, Susan. “FDA Releases Concerning Information About Beneful.” Truth About Pet Food. http://truthaboutpetfood.com/fda-releases-concerning-information-about-beneful. Accessed 4 Mar. 2018.'
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