Today, Menu Foods announced a tentative settlement that will potentially “resolve all claims” from owners of dogs and cats who ate contaminated food.
If you’re a pet owner, you probably know the name Menu Foods. Need a refresher on what happened? Here’s the story in brief: Menu Foods makes pet foods for a number of different store/generic and name brands. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found melamine — a chemical used to make plastics — in samples of Menu Foods’ products; the melamine was later traced to contaminated wheat gluten imported from China.
Many dogs and cats died after eating the contaminated food, although exact numbers are not confirmed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration received nearly twenty thousand claims of related pet health issues and deaths, but has not confirmed all as being related to Menu Foods products. Veterinarians across the United States and Canada have been asked to report possible related cases to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
I actually have met a survivor of melamine poisoning — a cat named Calvin who comes to the veterinarian side of the cats-only vet and boarding facility where I work. Calvin is suffering from kidney failure and comes in three times per week to receive subcutaneous fluids.
For more information, check out these articles that Courtney wrote when the contaminated food first hit the news.
- The Case of the Menu Foods Pet Food Recall
- Menu Foods Pet Food Recall: New Clues, New Questions
- Pet Parent Alert: Pet Food Recall Expanded, Could Expand Even More
A lawyer for the Menu Foods Income Fund called the amount a “comprehensive settlement”. She couldn’t disclose the exact amount of the settlement, but did say that the total costs associated with the product recall exceeded fifty-three million dollars.
A lawyer speaking for a group of pet owners said that they were “pleased” with the agreement. The owners hope to have a settlement agreement finalized by May first. A U.S. District Judge will consider the agreement later that month. Menu Foods expects that the Canadian legal system will approve the settlement around the same time.