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)
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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
April 30th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
28226 P Brafford
April 30th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
P Brafford 28226
April 30th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
P. Van Oeveren
48911
April 30th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
94949, Madeline Preisner
April 30th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
92879 WENDI TRAVIS
April 30th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Joan F. Kudrick
Zip: 18428
April 30th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
92879 WENDI TRAVIS
April 30th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
84103, Carrie Oliver
My relatives and I all have pets, and we want them to be protected by labeling on the pet food which shows all ingredients and the countries they come from; safer and higher quality pet food; and more FDA inspection of pet food companies. This situation is horrendous. Our pets are family members.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
84103, Carrie Oliver
April 30th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Mary Jane Goodrich 01258
We were warned. Now we know for sure. Finally, it will be up to us collectively to effect permanent changes by OUR choices and focus. The deaths of so many beloved pets must not be in vain.
April 30th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
20740
Barbara Sutcliffe
April 30th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Debra L. White
55021
I manage a speciality pet store and have to console several of my dear clients on the senseless deaths of their beloved pets, which have been linked to the product recall. Regulations and watch-dogs are a must.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
50313 Scarlett Harden
50313 Harold Harden
May 1st, 2007 at 1:49 am
Lori Martin
19082
Americans expect the FDA to ensure the safety of the food supply for animals and people alike - not to stand by and allow ingredients doctored with toxic substances first to enter the country for use in food manufacturing, and then to permit the end product to be distributed without adequate pre-market quality control testing. Our pets (and some livestock) are serving as helpless “canaries in the coal mine” on this issue.
This catastrophe has shaken my confidence in the safety of any processed food item for animal or human, as I’m sure it has for many other concerned citizens. And I can only wonder how many human beings in China and its overseas markets have been exposed to these toxin-laced food ingredients.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:07 am
88012 Elaine Nimmo
May 1st, 2007 at 2:49 am
46835
R. Ackley
It is time to hold those accountable who contributed to the senseless deaths of our beloved pets.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:54 am
Alison Fujimoto
92124
May 1st, 2007 at 2:55 am
Alison Fujimoto
92124
Something must be done to prevent this from ever, ever happening again.
May 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
Joanne Armour
Dls6619@aol.com
19057
May 1st, 2007 at 8:00 am
32068
Lynn Peaslee
May 1st, 2007 at 8:14 am
15229
Linda Swiss
May 1st, 2007 at 9:41 am
Leslie Hlad
15642
May 1st, 2007 at 9:50 am
76054
Elizabeth Perrine
May 1st, 2007 at 10:02 am
31012 nancy paul
May 1st, 2007 at 10:05 am
31012 nancy paul
May 1st, 2007 at 10:06 am
08854
Monica Sharma
May 1st, 2007 at 10:26 am
27510 Amy Brann
May 1st, 2007 at 10:44 am
90027
Jennifer Sanders
May 1st, 2007 at 11:36 am
35585 Angie Uptain
May 1st, 2007 at 11:43 am
28105 Kandice West
May 1st, 2007 at 11:57 am
I have been feeding Diamond dry cat food for less active cats. Three of them began to act very lethargic so we took all three to the vet only to find that one was dying of renal failure and the other two weren’t far behind so we had them put to sleep to avoid their suffering. Less then one month later a third cat died. We have always tried to take good care of our babies and feel someone should have to be accountable for us having to go through this heartbreak.
May 1st, 2007 at 11:59 am
I have been feeding Diamond dry cat food for less active cats. Three of them began to act very lethargic so we took all three to the vet only to find that one was dying of renal failure and the other two weren’t far behind so we had them put to sleep to avoid their suffering. Less then one month later a third cat died. We have always tried to take good care of our babies and feel someone should have to be accountable for us having to go through this heartbreak.
97603 Priscilla Sharpe
May 1st, 2007 at 12:17 pm
64024
May 1st, 2007 at 12:17 pm
64024 Ritas Spangler
May 1st, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Jennine Thompson 75067
May 1st, 2007 at 2:12 pm
72567
May 1st, 2007 at 2:32 pm
94133
Holly Hampton
May 1st, 2007 at 2:41 pm
48326
Amy Rectenwal
May 1st, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Nora Marasco 50317 / I feel that Itchmo.com saved my Rufus’s life. He is my awesome Aussie and also my boyfriends Blue Heeler, Zoro. I am now cooking for my dogs and feeding Canidae Dry and wet when in a rush. Thank You Itchmo for making the recipies acsessable and all the valuable information. I am forever grateful. Rufus and I are driving down to Austin, TX from DM, IA this week for a 2 week celebration at all the doggie parks and restaurants!
May 1st, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Nora Marasco 50317 / Thankyou Itchmo for saving my awesome Aussie Rufus’s life with all the information provided over the last 3 months. All the wonderful acsessable recipies! I am now cooking for Rufus, and Zorro (Blue Heeler). Rufus and I are driving from Des Moines, IA to Austin TX for a 2 week celebration at all the Doggie Parks! I am forever grateful!
May 1st, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Terri Oak
47170
May 1st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Please, make the country of origin mandatory on all labels.
May 1st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
06442
F E Whaley-wexler
May 1st, 2007 at 7:08 pm
85086
Barb Fannon
May 1st, 2007 at 8:30 pm
94590, Kitty Brevig
Shame on pet food manufacturers going out of country where regard for animals is almost non-existent! Pet food should have every regulation that human food does-these are living, breathing, loving creatures! They deserve our best!!
May 1st, 2007 at 10:41 pm
11377Maria Pagan
May 1st, 2007 at 10:41 pm
92130
Melissa Wise
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:14 am
97222 Cheryl Brown
In loving memory of Cera, my sweet companion and cat of 15 years.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:26 am
74105 Doris Webb
This is really a shame. Our pets depend on us as much if not more than our children. We should be able to feed them without concern or worry. If this was a human problem this would already been under control.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:39 am
in loving memory of my beautiful yorkie teddy bear I WILL MISS YOU FOREVER THIS DID NOT NEED TO HAPPEN