Purina has been forced to refute what it described as “online rumors” that have caused a frenzy on TikTok in recent weeks, alleging that its Pro Plan food had made dozens of pets, mostly dogs, sick.
Days after the company issued a statement saying that “these false claims may be creating unnecessary stress for pet owners,” a Purina spokeswoman said Thursday that “there was absolutely no data to show us that there is a pattern of problems” with any Purina Product.
“Over the past few days, we have seen an increase in consumers who are scared and reaching out to ask if we have a recall or issue after seeing this rumor,” spokeswoman Lorie Westhoff said in an email. “In response, we inform you that these rumors are not true and that our food is safe to eat.”
Purina, which is based in St. Louis and is a subsidiary of Nestlé, was responding to unsubstantiated accounts that were shared in TikTok videos that have racked up thousands of views and in a public Facebook group with 62,000 members called Saving Pets One Pet. @ATime. . The dogs suffered seizures, vomiting and diarrhea, according to these accounts, and some died after eating the Purina Pro Plan food.
Concerned pet owners encouraged a boycott of Purina. As of last week, the Facebook group had received nearly 197 anecdotal reports that animals (151 dogs and 46 cats) had become ill and that 51 of them had died.
Purina said there was no evidence to support those reports.
“We know this is a rumor because we have absolutely no data to show us that there is a pattern of problems with any specific product,” Ms. Westhoff said. “As a company that feeds more than 100 million dogs and cats each year, we never take risks with pet health.”
In its statement last week, Purina said the sources of some of the posts were “well-meaning pet parents who are genuinely concerned and trying to help,” while others “may be trying to create chaos and mistrust toward certain brands.” as an opportunity.” sell their own products.”
In 2022, consumers will spend more than $136.8 billion on pets in the United States, where more than 65 million households have dogs and about 46.5 million households have cats, according to a Forbes Advisor survey published last week.
The figures suggest the potential influence that online communities can have on the pet food industry.
Rachel Fusaro, who has 275,000 followers on TikTok, cited reports in recent videos that have racked up millions of views in recent weeks saying that hundreds of dogs had fallen ill after eating Purina. Ms. Fusaro, whose website says she has a bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences, referred to some of the descriptions in Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time.
“I'm not confirming whether or not there is something wrong with Purina,” he said in a video on TikTok. But he added that he would “personally stop” using Purina products despite the lack of an official recall. Fusaro could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
In response to emailed questions Thursday, Purina said Fusaro had not offered any evidence of a connection between any illness and a Purina product.
Purina spokesman Westhoff said the company was “considering other avenues to address this directly with those who started the rumor.”
“They have acknowledged in multiple ways that they have no evidence that there is a problem with Purina products, but they continue to purposely spread this misinformation,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration does not have a recent list of recalls affecting Purina products. Purina's last voluntary recall was in March 2023, after a “feed supplier error” caused potentially elevated levels of vitamin D in Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental prescription dry dog food.
Westhoff said there was “no correlation” between the latest rumors “and the food we voluntarily recalled last year.”
In that case, he said, investigators who followed up on a pair of consumer complaints found the cause was “an error that occurred in a third-party blender.”
“We quickly made the decision to voluntarily recall the product and notified the FDA,” he said.
The FDA said in a statement Thursday that it could not comment on recent reports of pet illnesses that have been circulating online but that it “broadly” evaluates them to determine whether action is necessary. Encouraged pet owners and veterinarians to report illnesses or other adverse events associated with pet foods directly to the agency.
.
