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
May 7th, 2007 at 12:50 am
10312
Yvonne Roga
I cannot believe how horrible this situation has become. Someone needs to be held accountable for all pets who suffered. Is it because these are animals and not humans that the response has been so slow? It’s unacceptable all around.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:00 am
99502 Carol Longval
I have always made all my dogs food, due to allergies. I thank goodness I do, even tho’ it is rather time consuming. I do, however, give my dogs commercial treats. Their favorite is the chicken jerky made by Dingo Brand. They have had these for as long as Dingo has made them. Trying to order a new shipment on Thursday (5/04/07) I find that
Dingo has recalled all it’s chicken jerky and will no longer be making it due to possible salmonella contamination. Will it never end? How about getting the FDA involved??
May 7th, 2007 at 1:23 am
92408 Sharon Ellwood
May 7th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Something needs to be done immediatley. These innocent pets are just trying to eat and they are sick or dying needlessley. Shame on these pet food manufactures…
May 7th, 2007 at 6:19 am
I do not enter my name, etc. on a site that is not secure!
Please make the petition site a secure site, or move it to
one that is secure!
May 7th, 2007 at 8:48 am
My pets are so dear to me. I could not imagine loosing them this way. I take such good care of them. The pet food companies must take responsibility and do more than just offer $.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:55 am
15238 Andrea Lehman
May 7th, 2007 at 10:10 am
29072
Gil Hampton
May 7th, 2007 at 10:31 am
33565
Debra J. McKnight-Schirck
May 7th, 2007 at 11:01 am
15690
May 7th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Karen Sheaffer
15690
May 7th, 2007 at 11:03 am
J. Ford
98391
I have been feeding Chicken Soup for Puppy Lovers since the puppies started to eat. I am horrified that it has been recalled. I want Diamond to pay for their blood work that I have been advised to have done.
May 7th, 2007 at 11:18 am
02135 Monika Shepherd
May 7th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I am Peggy Crawford. My zip code is 93611. I want to sign this petition to hold Pet Food Manufacturers responsible for what has been done to countless pets.
May 7th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Carol White
63628
May 7th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
06883 Susan Neilly
May 7th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
06883 Susan Neilly
May 7th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Brad Miller
67003
May 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
42748 Jason Cline
May 7th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
60181 Janice Francour
May 7th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Jen Bowman
43035
May 7th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
R. DUANE SWANK 34476
May 7th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
61801 Chris Mayer
May 7th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
97302
Paula Turner
Please add my name to the Pet Food Accountability Petition
May 7th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
32958 Steven Murto
May 7th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
15234
Sherry Johnson
May 7th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
28138 Diane Daniels These companies were to profit from the cheap, untested Chinese imports. They should be held accountable for their lack of concern for safety of their product.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
loretta jacobs, RN
94904
Shame, shame on you!
May 7th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
05May2007
Congress should enact legislation that would 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.
The financial burden of uninsured veterinary treatment caused by the contaminated food can be overwhelming for most, leading pet parents and their families to significant financial damage; if not loss of a family member — often affecting other family members such as kids and the elderly.
By doing this Congress and FDA would create a financial motive for pet food makers and marketers to set higher standards for pet foods. We need to let them know that consumers are want a 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.
And lastly, there needs to be 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 also be obvious to the consumer.
Some of us feed our animals better than we feed ourselves.
J. S. Dashiell, Psy. D
3000 Magic Hollow Boulevard
Virginia Beach, Va. 23453-3009
May 7th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Janice Glowski
87144
May 7th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
China needs to stop spraying rat poison on their wheat!
May 7th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
35226 Henry Sledge
May 7th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
35127 Gayle M. Gowdy
May 7th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
35127 Randall W. Gowdy
May 7th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Gabrielle Phillips
90277
May 7th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
48377 Regina Rizk-Smith
May 7th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
90277
Wesley Ichishita
May 7th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Teri Meadows
80403
May 7th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
80403
Teri Meadows
May 8th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Debbee Archuleta, 85206
May 8th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Suzanne Burleson
74055
May 8th, 2007 at 11:09 am
the company who polluted the pet food supply should pay damages, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. From what I read in national publications, many companies in China, and no doubt other countries, as well, pollute food for human comsumption for people in the USA and the FDA does very little to test and control the contamination of foods from outside this country.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
98661 Jonnette Hemry
May 8th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
It’s time for accountability for the pet food industry.
Jack Todd
jack.todd@pgn.com
97215
May 8th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I heartily support the Pet Food Accountability Petition. Companies definitely need to be held accountable for the losses created from their greed.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Sue Cowan
97030
May 8th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
if you sell it, you are responsible for it.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
97214
Lynn Maritch
if you sell it, you are responsible for it.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Kathy Davies
97013
May 8th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
97239, Joan Amero