In the midst of a major lawsuit (Purina suing Blue Buffalo claiming Blue used by-products in their foods), Blue Buffalo made a surprising statement.
“Blue Buffalo has recently learned from Wilbur-Ellis, a major U.S. Company that supplies ingredients to us and many other well-known brands of pet foods, that a Texas pet food ingredient processing plant they own had mislabeled some of the ingredients they shipped to their customers. So while their customers were ordering and paying for 100% chicken meal, at times they were receiving shipments that contained poultry by-product meal.”
“Since this Wilbur-Ellis plant was the source of some of our chicken meal, we may have received some of these mislabeled shipments, and there likely are numerous other pet food companies who also received these mislabeled ingredients. The FDA has been informed of this situation, and you may rest assured that this mislabeling poses no health, safety or nutrition issue. And while this is comforting, since the health and well-being of our dogs and cats comes before anything else, the fact that any Blue Buffalo food could include a mislabeled ingredient is totally unacceptable. As a result, we have stopped doing business with this plant.”
Purina’s ‘beef’ with Blue has been the company advertised no use of by-products in their foods when Purina’s testing confirmed the use of by-products. With this surprising statement from Blue, it appears Blue is admitting some of their products did indeed contain by-products – though they are declaring it is no fault of their own. Blue is passing ‘the by-product buck’ on to the ingredient supplier Wilbur-Ellis. (Click Here and/or Here to read more about Purina vs Blue lawsuit.)
Wilbur-Ellis has a history of concerns. A search on the FDA website found mention of a 2008 violation of medicated feed. A 2013 recall due to excess drug concentration of a “Dewormer” product. And Wilbur-Ellis is mentioned in FDA testimony to Congress as importing melamine tainted rice protein linked to thedeadly 2007 pet food recall.
The recent Blue statement advised that FDA has been notified of the ingredient problem and clearly implicates numerous other pet food manufacturers are involved (purchasing a chicken meal ingredient that is actually a lesser quality by-product meal). Questions have been sent to FDA asking the names of all other pet food involved. And I have contacted the ingredient supplier Wilbur-Ellis requesting more information. When more is learned – it will be posted.
Until then, many questions for consumers…
- With an admission of mislabeling, will Blue Buffalo recall these products?
- Will the other pet foods involved be recalled?
- Should the pet foods involved be recalled? (Consumer perspective.)
- Was Blue Buffalo’s statement that “numerous other pet food companies” purchased mislabeled ingredients an attempt to throw other manufacturers under the bus? An attempt to deflect blame from Blue to other manufacturers?
- Is one of the other manufacturers that purchased the mislabeled chicken meal from Wilbur-Ellis Purina?
- Whose responsibility is it? Where does responsibility lie when purchasing pet food ingredients – the ingredient supplier or the manufacturer (the ingredient purchaser)?
- When will this pet food mayhem end? When will federal and state authorities step up and protect pet food consumers?
Original Article from Truth About Pet Foods