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 8th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
MICHAEL VESSEY
04070-7656
May 8th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
04070 FRANCES VESSEY
May 8th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
96720, Michael Saunders
May 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Laura Morehead…18013
I wonder how the pet food giants can sleep at night knowing how many animals they have killed.
May 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
20906
b-j Altschul
This is LOOOOOOOOOOONG overdue
May 8th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Shannon Hutcheson
L1P 1A1
May 8th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Victoria Schron
91607
May 8th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
60031 Mary C Parsons
May 8th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
55056 Kimberly Netzer
May 8th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
98065 Stephanie Jones
May 8th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Natacia Manibusan
91977
My pets are too important for me to take this lightly. My money will no longer go to irresponsible companies. If that means I make it myself with Kosher and organically raised meats, then so be it. If a place like Trader Joes, Whole Foods and other Health food places have it for us and our fourlegged friends, there is no reason to shop elsewhere for such an to ensure their well being. You should be ashamed of yourself for allowing such dispicable behavior. I hope this haunts everyone involved and comes back to punish you severly. Tsk Tsk Tsk!
May 8th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Menu Foods should be held accountable for the pain, suffering and cost ALL pet lovers have endured! Menu Foods searched for the cheapest product available..to hell with our pets. My pets were fed only natural cat food..this rotten manufacturer packed their food!
May 8th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Bethany Hoffee, 98383
May 8th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
When I first heard the recall, I was shocked, and worried, though I dont feed my cats wet cat food, I know a few of my friends do, and didnt want their animals hurt.
The fact that the standards for pet food is held lower is a shock, and not a shock, for in the eyes of the courts, pets are property. This petition is something that is needed to get the standareds raised, as well as to prevent this from happening on this scale ever again.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Gerri Penn, 30360
I returned Ol Roy treats to Walmart and they were still selling the recalled treats. My dogs are living breathing members of our family and just like humans the companies selling the contaminated products should be held accountable.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
53207 Karen Bosetti
Please help and save our pets.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
21075
Virginia Bell
May 8th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
8146-8846
Patricia & Richard McAfoose
We sign this petition to ask our Congress to take a
positive stand and get started on fixing this dog/cat
food mess. This is the greatest country on earth and
therefore this problem is beyond excuses! Stand
up and do what is right for a change!
May 8th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
62650
Annette Hipkins
May 8th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
62650
Annette Hipkins
May 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
91355, Christine Lunde
May 8th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I have a question concerning the tainted feed eaten by the hogs and chickens. I recently became aware that if a human has eaten the meat tainted with the melamine feed, it comes out the urine. If a dog eat a tainted chicken (one that has eaten melamine) would it make the animal sick? Also, if I fed my dog organic food would it be a lot safer? Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you. I live in California and am deeply concerned.
Sincerely, Ms. Nicky M. Matthews
May 8th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I have a question concerning the tainted feed eaten by the hogs and chickens. I recently became aware that if a human has eaten the meat tainted with the melamine feed, it comes out the urine. If a dog eat a tainted chicken (one that has eaten melamine) would it make the animal sick? Also, if I fed my dog organic food would it be a lot safer? Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you. I live in California and am deeply concerned.
Sincerely, Ms. Nicky M. Matthews
92252
May 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I was very lucky that my two cats were not affected by the contaminated petfood, but I am signing in support of all those who lost furry companions or have been burdened by pet illness. I believe these people are victims of a deliberate criminal act by the pet food industry and they deserve restitution and compensation.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
89415 Cathy Johnson, I want to know what is safe to feed my dog, and if dog food companies are this lax with pet food, is food for humans safe? Look at the spinach incident.
May 8th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Dawn MacFarlane
33569
May 8th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Cheryl Baker
35235
May 9th, 2007 at 1:09 am
It is absolutely criminal what has been done in the name of profits at the expense of our pets. Not only does this bring up so many issues about the whole process of the production of pet food and its safety, but it brings up a lot of questions in general about the safety of the human food supply. I think Congress needs to investigate the safety of ours and the pets food supply, and also that “Country of Origin” needs to be placed on food labels. There should also be more investigations into the safety of food and drugs coming to our country from China.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:57 am
98291 Sally Bagwell
May 9th, 2007 at 4:42 am
95350
Donna Phillips
May 9th, 2007 at 8:37 am
08016 Merri Milas
May 9th, 2007 at 10:01 am
08754 Sandra Figner
May 9th, 2007 at 10:21 am
44010 Patricia Lovley
May 9th, 2007 at 10:29 am
78759
Abbey Bassett
May 9th, 2007 at 11:49 am
49946
Kara Falk
May 9th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
33952 glenda hunt
May 9th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
85716
Sandra Wrigglesworth
May 9th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Kitty Uhlman 02905
I think this is absolutely horrendous. None of my pets have been affected (yet). But now when I go to the grocery store to buy food for my dogs and cats, I have to stand there feeling real fear, wondering which food is safe to purchase and what should I buy. Something needs to be done about this now. It’s totally unacceptable. Furthermore, I have read that now those same ingredients that poisoned our pets has been fed to chickens and fish for HUMAN consumption! How can this be?!? This cannot be allowed!
May 9th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
28379 NICOLE HAYWOOD
May 9th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
18427 pam sweda
May 9th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Roger Williams Lockhart TX 78644
May 9th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
02892
Carol Vecchione
May 9th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
54720 Annette Bullard Save and protect our fur-babies and human-babies
May 9th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
ML Sherwood
77082
May 9th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Lori Cole
N2H 1T9
May 10th, 2007 at 3:27 am
23947 Debra Lewis Caruso
Our babies deserve better,obviously the petfood industry has been duping us all.We will not be decieved anymore!
May 10th, 2007 at 3:36 am
98383 Kori Gibson
May 10th, 2007 at 5:00 am
V4K 2Z1 Carolyn Leath-Watson
May 10th, 2007 at 8:00 am
78704 Sharon Croissant
May 10th, 2007 at 8:48 am
28690 reba vanhorn