Petition to Require Pet Food Companies to be Held Accountable for Damages
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED:
Request that the U.S. Congress enact legislation to require pet food manufacturers and the companies that market those pet food brands to be held financially liable for any medical costs related to or contributing to the illness and/or death of a pet that can be reasonably attributed to the food consumed by the pet. And that all pet foods include the name of the manufacturer, not just the brand under which it is sold.
This petition is in response to the thousands of pet parents and owners who have suffered under the Menu Foods recall and their slow response that started on March 16th, 2007.
Sign after the jump.
Or read about all the latest news surrounding the recall.
In creating this petition, our motive is three-fold:
- First, we want to ease the pain and suffering of those who have lost their pets due to mistakes and negligence of pet food makers. The loss or illness of a pet can be emotionally devastating. On top of it, the financial burden of uninsured veterinary treatment can be a double-whammy, leading pet parents and their families to significant financial damage — often affecting other family members such as kids and the elderly. This legislation will create a venue for settling these cases fairly and out of court, eliminating the need for a lengthy court case, which companies rely on in order to reduce the likelihood of payout.
- Second, create a financial motive for pet food makers and marketers to set higher standards for pet food. We want to let them know that consumers are interested in higher-grade pet food. And that the longer a company waits in issuing warnings or recalls related to their product, the larger the potential financial damage. This new law would hold the manufacturers (often smaller, less financially sound organizations) and also the larger corporations that market the branded foods — who ultimately control what goes in them.
- Third, a clear public disclosure of who actually makes the food. Since the financial liability falls to the brand as well as the manufacturer, the name of the company that actually produced the food should be obvious to the consumer. How much clearer would this recall have been if the food was labeled “Made by Menu Foods”?
Once the final tally of the pet deaths is complete, the petition will be delivered to the head of the congressional committee that controls FDA funding (Dave Obey, D-WI, chairman of House Appropriations Committee).
IMPORTANT!
For your petition to be valid, we require:
- An accurate email address
- Your First and Last name (In the comment field)
- Your Zip code (In the comment field)
Your email will not appear below and will be kept securely by us. Your email will be used ONLY in the purposes of carrying out the petition. It will not be used for spam, sold or marketed to any other company. We hate spam as much as you do. Only your name, Zip code, and any comment you make will appear.
This petition is sponsored by itchmo.com. Please feel free to start your own email campaign to this page. The short link to use is http://www.itchmo.com/petition
March 29th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Paula Carter-Cooper
97702
Our “beloved Grand Dog” just died March 26th due to this poisoned pet food! No one should have to endure this loss of our fur family! No one!
We owe them the voice they no longer have.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Shelly Kirkbride
99692
March 29th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
M Bud Rinasz 89410
March 29th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
56345 Mary Smith
I have five dogs and five cats all of which have consumed any number of cans of the recalled foods which I purchased at PetSmart, PetCo and Cobourn’s Grocery Store in Little Falls MN. I am sick to my stomach. I worry about them and wonder how I can even pay for testing on all of them. All are still eating but there are small signs of possible problems. God help me.Someone please help me with this.I would rather have money for testing then anything at this point.
March 29th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
89703
Lori Lane`
March 29th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Lisa Razo 91977
March 29th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Melisa Goldstein
92040
Such a shame that Corporate society does not have a care in the world for the very service they provide, let alone the animals and families that they devastate when their tainted product is massed produced and sold to unknowing customers. Their lack of early response and recall should be punished severely so as to send a message that this behavior will not be tolerated. They are messing with our FAMILIES……including OUR PETS and that is NOT okay.
March 29th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Karen Hartsough 40014
Thankfully, we have our animals’ food shipped from Evy Serpa in Denver. Our 3 dogs and 4 cats eat KUMPI food. While this petition is a good thing, I can’t imagine any governmental or corporate entity going out of their way to make things right because for them, things ARE right. They’re not interested in making THINGS right…..they’re interested in making THE BOTTOM LINE right. It’s ALL about money. And with regard to all of these dog foods, whether they’re average or high-end — now we see that they all came out of, or off of, the same factory floor. Glad the pricey ones have been exposed. So now we see it’s all about packaging. We buy a bag with lovely colors, or with a name that translates into “get this one, it’s expensive”…..but they’re all filled with the same thing. (I guess they’ve even got the vets fooled.) Sorry to say this, but no one will convince me that the gov’t has any regard whatsoever for family pets. For Christ’s sake! Look what’s is the food WE eat!
Our furry family members, Toby, Gus, Spike, Spanky & Darla and Sydney and Romeo are so lucky to have Kumpi Dog and Kumpi Cat food. This is not an advertisement! It’s simply the TRUTH. Thank you, Every Serpa! You helped our animals avoid eating what corporate America dishes out.
I think if someone wants to hold the pet food industry accountable, perhaps a class action suit would be in order. Take ‘em to Court!
My sympathy to those of you who have suffered such unnecessary losses. :o(
March 29th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Bethany White
44035
March 29th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
18660
WAYNE DENSTON
My wonderful and loving Tigger was euthanized on 20 March 07.
In less than a week after eating special kitty he lost his appetite, lost about 31/2 pounds loss muscle tone in his hind quarters and could not walk. He also started vomiting and was partially blind (he could only see
me when I stood directly in front of him
He was 15 and I got him as a kitten. He was an important and special part of my life.
My home seems so empty, my heart is broken and I demand the company
responsible be held accountable for this tragic time in our lives.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
We lost our beloved pet from tainted dog food on Feb. 19, 2007. She was only 5 years old. My 8 year old daughter watched her die in my arms. Nothing can replace her or the pain our family has gone thru. No one should ever have to go thru this. My heart aches for all those with such similar stories.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Veronica L Delgadillo 91977
March 29th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
53719
Jenny Gillham
My heart goes out to those who have lost a beloved pet. I can only imagine how heart broken I would be if it had been one of my own. The awful part is that the official number can never be proven - in cases where the pets died even before the recall was announced, or those that don’t still have the food to prove it, or those that can not afford the testing.
March 29th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Lori Jensen 97223
March 29th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
33069
Debra Imbriale
March 29th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
32541 Julie Liebetreu
March 29th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Allison Smith Martin
35031
I lost my 8.5 year old blue heeler, Scout, my beloved Scoutie, on February 25, 2007. I fed her Iams Active Maturity Beef in Gravy beginning in January 2007. I am devastated. She was my first dog since I was a kid. She loved to bark. Little did I know that she had so much to say in such a short time. The house is so quiet now.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
John & Mim Carpenter
97702
Maybe Menu foods should have a serving of the tainted food, to see what pain they have caused to innocent pets and their owners. This has caused great pain and suffering for the pets and their loss has caused the owners great pain in the loss. They are very beloved pets. My heart goes out to those that suffered the loss.
March 29th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
16652
Celeste Brion
March 29th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
32821
Julie Roberts
March 29th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
23229
March 29th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Virginia Bell 08753
I demand ALL corporations be held accountable for EVERYTHING they do.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
23451
Mary M. Smith
March 29th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
23451
Mary M. Smith
March 29th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
40291
Cheryl R Wilson
I lost my girl last week…she had been my friend for over 12 years and I am devistated. Menu Foods should be held accountable for every pets life they took and for the thousands that are still suffering.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
94112
Mia Patterson
March 29th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Menu Foods will go bankrupt and people will find much better alternatives in order to sustain their beloved pets with REAL food we can trust. This industry has lied before and will lie again. We will support businesses with integrity.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
98506
Barbara Collins
BOYCOTT MENU FOODS AND THE CORPORATE PET FOOD INDUSTRY PERMANENTLY.
SEALED WITH A SLAP FOR NOXIOUSNESS, NEGLIGENCE AND NO ACTION.
March 29th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
10022, Lori J. Sherman
March 29th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Michele Peltier, Minnesota, 55119
I want something done to ensure safety for our pets in this country.
I lost our beloved little dog, Jack, on March 17th, 2006, to a sudden onset of throwing up and pooping all over.
His death was blamed on a liver issue. FDA said to me that any illness would have been progressive. He was totally healthy up to this aweful, horrid, and heart breaking day…..
March 29th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
07035
Michele Ventricelli
March 29th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Rita Fazio
19008
Pet food companies make a lot of money off of people who love their pets…of course they should be held responsible for any damage they cause. Also, when a pet food company causes pain, suffering and death to innocent animals by “testing” their foods on them (Menu Foods fed the poisoned food to healthy animals) they should also be held accountable for “animal cruelty.” I don’t know how anyone can trust a Pet Food company who uses Menu Foods to manufacture any of their pet food. People who paid premium prices for “premium pet food” now find out the food contains the same ingredients as the cheaper supermarket brand food!
March 30th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Shasta Stoner 86022
March 30th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Shasta Stoner
86022
March 30th, 2007 at 12:47 am
92120 Marissa Jackson
March 30th, 2007 at 12:47 am
92120 Brian Jackson
March 30th, 2007 at 12:50 am
27530 Susannah Parker
March 30th, 2007 at 1:13 am
91977
Debra Shipley
March 30th, 2007 at 4:41 am
pr7 4pq les moulsdale
March 30th, 2007 at 7:06 am
23059
Rick Schaffer
March 30th, 2007 at 8:02 am
16001
Nancy Malinski
March 30th, 2007 at 8:16 am
As a person responsible for a dog, I support any effort to make pet food manufacturers accountable for their products. We shouldn’t even be having this dialog…..what’s next….rat poison in people food?????
eric albert
10804
March 30th, 2007 at 8:17 am
claire mcintee
10804
March 30th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Emily Woodward
21801
March 30th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Owen Wyatt
23831
March 30th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Cleveland, Ohio 44135
Amy J. Ballentine
BallentineA@yahoo.com
March 30th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Andrea Mayer
13820
March 30th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I am outraged. I thought I was giving my four pets the very best, and now it seems I was literally hand-feeding them potential rat poison. I feel very lax that I did not question my pet food regulations before now. I have written every legislator, including Pres. Bush, with my adamance that there be better pet food regulation. I, personally, will be going to organic foods made by someone like Newmans Own Organics. Never again will I trust my government to protect me and mine.
March 30th, 2007 at 9:12 am
I am outraged. I thought I was giving my four pets the very best, and now it seems I was literally hand-feeding them potential rat poison. I feel very lax that I did not question my pet food regulations before now. I have written every legislator, including Pres. Bush, with my adamance that there be better pet food regulation. I, personally, will be going to organic foods made by someone like Newmans Own Organics. Never again will I trust my government to protect me and mine.
Brenda Kula, Tyler, Texas 75703
March 30th, 2007 at 9:14 am
46217 GAYLE LELEKATCH
I DEMAND AN ACCOUNTABILITY OF INGREDIENTS BEING USED IN OUR INNOCENT AND LOVED PET FOODS. ALL INGREDIENTS AND MANUFACTURER NAMES SHOULD BE LISTED ON THE CANS AND BAGS.