FDA remains ‘mum’ on status of Purina complaints investigation

On January 4, 2024, eFoodAlert reported that dozens of dogs and cats who had been fed a Purina ProPlan dry pet food had fallen ill.

A copy of that report was flagged to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In response to the initial report, a spokesperson for the agency said, “We encourage pet owners or their veterinarians to submit reports of illness or other adverse events associated with pet food directly to FDA by following the instructions on this page: How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.”

Pet owners took the FDA at its word. According to data obtained by Truth About Pet Food in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the agency received more than 900 complaints during the month of January 2024 alone. More than 90% of those complaints named a Purina product.

Five months later, pet owners who made the effort to report their concerns to the FDA are expressing increasing frustration at the lack of feedback from the federal agency.

Linda’s story

Linda, whose three rescue cats fell very sick after being fed a Purina product, filed two separate complaints with the FDA, and advised the agency that she had retained some of the suspect pet food. She offered to supply the food to the FDA for testing.

The FDA’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator sent this reply. “Good morning. Thank you for contacting the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Your message has been received.  The FDA will not be collecting your consumer sample. If you wish to have your sample tested, please seek a private lab.”

Linda made multiple attempts to contact individuals at the FDA in an effort to learn why the agency was not interested in testing the pet food. None of her calls were returned. No one would take the time to explain to her why the FDA was not interested in testing the pet food she had specifically retained for that purpose.

She then contacted the FDA’s Ombudsman, Erica Katherine, who promised to look into the matter and get back to her within three days.

Three weeks later, she still had not received a response from the Ombudsman.

Finally, Linda contacted the Office of Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, where it now rests.

FDA losing credibility with consumers

In an email to me, Linda wrote, “I do not have any faith in the FDA.  Based on my experience with the FDA, I believe they are covering up for Purina. I have been working on this since January and the FDA has done nothing.”

Linda is not alone.

On April 17, 2024, the Association for Truth in Pet Food filed a Citizen Petition, “Requesting that the FDA provide the public with an update(s) to their investigation of this current pet food concern, provide the public with similar information in this current issue as the agency has historically provided the public with past (and other current) issues.”

That petition has now received more than 1,700 comments from pet owners and other interested parties. Following are just a few of those comments.

I have heard several reports of dogs getting sick or dying from Purina foods. Can you tell me what is being done to investigate this problem? There are way too many reports for this to be ignored. Purina is covering vet bills for people but not recalling anything.

Please provide us with details of your investigation into recent pet deaths encompassing many brands of pet food. The FDA has a responsibility to fully investigate.

I am one of those people who had a pet dog sickened by contaminated pet food in Dec 2023 (and believe the contamination started in August 2023). Fortunately I was able to switch my dog to homemade food before he got too sick and he seems to have mostly recovered. I want to know what was in the food that made him and other dogs and cats so sick! The FDA needs to stop dragging their feet on this issue! Use your resources in a timely manner to figure out what is sickening and killing these pets. I support this petition!!

Why has no statement been issued to warn pet owners about the thousands of pets that have been sickened and killed after consuming a variety of different pet foods? We want to know which foods are being investigated! We want to know what tests are being performed on the foods! We want to know how many complaints the FDA has received regarding this matter! We want to know if facilities are being inspected! We want to know how many dogs and cats have died as a result of contaminated food!!! Is there an agenda to kill our pets? Your silence is very suspicious. I have had family members, friends, and fellow rescuers whose cats have died unexpectedly over the last 6 months. The common link is Purina Pro Plan kibble.

FDA: pet owners need to be informed of any wrongdoings, faulty products, imported preservatives and chemicals, allowance for substandard products and foods, heck quality control! Death and illness read everyday on my FB feed is truly concerning. We live in fear to use expensive products already purchased after notification of alerts with possible contamination. Please help…. with your guidance our pets can thrive and we won’t live with fear or heartbreak

How many animals have to die or become really sick from eating food that are supposed to keep them alive and healthy? Please release any and all information to pet owners and the media so we all are in the know of what is causing these pet to become ill or die. What is in the food that is causing this. I refuse to feed processed kibble any longer we must know the truth?!

Step up and do something to hold these big corporations accountable for the unsafe and deadly pet food that is being marketed. Used to be that pet food was safe (all varieties) and a pet parent had the choice as to what they fed their pets. Now, all brands are basically owned by a few giants who do not care about quality nor safety and pets are becoming very ill or dying. I lost one cat and have another who is still struggling months after getting her off of Purina, Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin Prescription food. Please do your job. I know you don’t for human food, so have little hope for pet food, but somebody there has to have a conscious (sic).

Mixed messages

The FDA relies heavily on reports filed by veterinarians and pet owners to provide an early warning of pet food contamination issues.

But the lack of response from the agency—either in the form of a public statement or as an individual response to a complainant’s request for feedback—does nothing to encourage the filing of these reports.

This is the first time in my memory (and I have a very long memory) when the FDA has not issued a public statement on the status of an investigation into a mysterious cluster of pet illnesses.

• The melamine adulteration investigation rated a series of public announcements, even before the source of the illnesses was established.
• The Beneful investigation was publicized.
• The investigation into a suspected link between certain pet food ingredients and an increased incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was publicized in a series of public statements.
• Progress in the investigation into illnesses apparently associated with chicken jerky pet treats imported from China also was publicized.

Yet, the agency has not even released a public statement summarizing the number of complaints received. Nor has it been willing to share any information on the progress of its lab investigations into possible toxins or adulterants in the pet food samples submitted by consumers who reported sick and dying pets.

If the FDA wants to retain whatever credibility it has left with consumers, it must offer at least a measure of transparency into the progress of its investigation.

The FDA replies

eFoodAlert reached out to the FDA this week for comment and received the following response from an agency spokesperson:

The FDA takes seriously its responsibility to help ensure that pet food ingredients are safe and nutritious. We review every report of illness we receive, evaluate them and determine if FDA action may be warranted. If/when we identify a human or animal health hazard, we work with firms to recall the product and notify the public.

Although we can’t respond to every adverse event report or test every food sample, please know that the information you provide is very helpful to us. Even if we don’t follow up with you directly, the information you share becomes part of our understanding of the situation. We appreciate the time that pet owners and their veterinarians spend to submit reports of illness or other adverse events associated with pet food directly to the FDA by following the instructions on this page: How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.

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