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 25th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Linda Gieseking, 33331
May 25th, 2007 at 10:36 am
80809
Diane Hill
May 25th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Jeannie Leson
May 25th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Jeannie Leson
22039
May 25th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
55362
Gretchen Morical
May 25th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Melinda Rickson
77399
May 25th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Fred Rickson
77399
May 25th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Tim Harmon
77429
May 25th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
wendy giordano 18411
May 26th, 2007 at 12:25 am
30341
Robin Lane
May 26th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Tracey Goodwin, 02453
May 26th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
53150
Nancy Brandt
May 26th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
92234 Kathy Hart
May 26th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
33012 Olga Carbo
May 26th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
95490
Mollie Morrissette
May 26th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
maryann newlin
30054
May 26th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
94601
Vikki Landes
May 27th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Theresa A. gismondi
74 - 20th Street
Wading river New york , 11792
May 27th, 2007 at 10:09 am
35950 Stacey Hanson-Reese
May 27th, 2007 at 11:27 am
13045 Lydia Payne-Lowe
May 27th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
40640
Ritva Janhonen
May 27th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
40640
Ritva Janhonen
May 27th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Hard to believe that these corporations didn’t already know what was being put into their manufactured pet foods! Greed was the reason, and lack of caring about the pets/companions that they manufactured these foods for.
Now they will be trying hard to avoid paying for their adulterated food’s damages. Just another day at BIG CORPORATION offices.
However, if anyone is angered by the lack of care and research of what is being put into these Manufactured foods, it only takes a min. or two to read
up on raw diets. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ is a great site and has
two Free books, for downloading. I’d suggest Works Wonders as the first to read, then the RawMeatyBones for further detail and general information.
Marian Steiskal
97503
May 27th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
my cat was poisoned by natural balance cat food 3 weeks ago. i was lucky to catch it early my fangster should be ok. do you have any advice on joining a class action lawsuit? i have filled out claimant forms from the natural balance website but have not sent them back yet for vet bill reimbursementhave you heard if they are covering future vet bills for kidney damaged pets? i think this website is great thanks soooo much for all your hard work.
Nancy Graham
nancyjg@mts.net
R3N1P3
May 27th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Zasha Morejon 33176
May 28th, 2007 at 11:06 am
30076
Lisa Hagley
“3 weeks ago” Nancy - are you serious? There is still poisoned food being put on the shelves after 5 months of publicity?!?!
May 28th, 2007 at 11:58 am
68715
Sunne Reisser
May 28th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
32725-7417
Richard J. Yanno
May 28th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Rhonda Barrientos
75061
So China refuses to change their practice of adding cheap, deadly filler products to their exported food products, and pets AND people are suffering for it. Our country’s importers need to stand up and stop using China’s practices as an excuse. If China’s exports can’t be trusted, then STOP BUYING FROM THEM!!!!! We’d be willing to pay more for safer products, so end this insanity and boycott their deadly exports. I for one will never buy anything that comes from Menu Foods again. They knew their products weren’t safe, don’t think for a second that they didn’t know. It’s all in the name of saving the almighty buck or two by undercutting quality. They need to be held accountable, even if it means ultimately bankrupting them. I’m furious.
May 28th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
08053-Chris Parisi
May 28th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
49068 Kathi Hewitt
May 28th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
77573
Kathy Amato
May 28th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Patricia L. Stone
33322
May 29th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Elaine Swarts
23462
It’s about time someone heard us.
May 29th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
50530- Anita
May 30th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Nancy Proctor
37919
May 30th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
32570 Amber Henninger
May 30th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
32570 Travis Henninger
May 30th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
93312
Julie Harper
May 30th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Steven Perez, 92653,
May 30th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
98296
Dara Turransky
The pet industry needs to accept that consumers drive their product development, not them. We, as pet parents, demand just as high quality for our fur kids as we do for ourselves. Pets are viewed as family members by most, if not all, pet owners. Would you feed your 6 month old baby contaminated food?
May 30th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
34286 Heather Bird
May 31st, 2007 at 1:01 am
Alan Turransky 98296
May 31st, 2007 at 9:32 am
60077
Howard Frank
May 31st, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Ivy McLeod
ivy_rose_mcleod@yahoo.com
30307
June 1st, 2007 at 12:16 am
70726
Dana B. Gill
I am devastated by the lack of attention our pets/family members have when it comes to the FDA and other affiliates. I lost my sweet baby boy March 8, 2007 due to contaimination. I also second Dara Turransky. Regulations/restrictions should be the same for animal as it is for humans!!! I am still grieving in deep pain.
June 1st, 2007 at 7:59 am
N8W 2C4
Mrs. Mary (”Mare”) Moore
June 1st, 2007 at 8:00 am
N8W 2C4
Mrs. Mary (”Mare”) Moore
June 1st, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I believe the FDA and Pet food industry are misleading the public into believing that non recalled foods are safe when they have no real way of knowing that since not all foods and food ingredients have been tested. This is unethical and irresponsible on their parts and they must be held accountable. Mislabled and new ingredients are being found all the time as tainted so there is no definitive way to say what is and what is not safe without testing everything and at this point everything should be considered suspect even if it did not come from China.
Further it is unacceptable how long it takes them to get back to pet owners who file complaints and that they dismiss some complaints or concerns about food without ever testing the food. This must be fixed!
June 1st, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Christy S Hottinger
27358