Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
AUSTIN (KXAN) —A pet food manufacturer is denying health and safety issues with their products amid social media speculations.
The social media platform TikTok has countless videos and millions of views on videos claiming Purina Pro Plan dog food was responsible for pets getting sick. In a Friday statement, Purina said “these false statements may be creating unnecessary stress for pet parents.”
Please beware of online rumors claiming there are issues with Purina products – these false statements may be creating unnecessary stress for pet parents. There are no health or safety issues with any of our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence.
At Purina, we take pride in feeding 46 million dogs and 68 million cats every year. The quality, safety and nutrition of our products is our highest priority, and we take feedback from concerned pet owners and veterinarians very seriously. Our Quality Assurance team leads more than 100,000 quality checks EVERY DAY across our factory network with the goal of ensuring our products are safe at every stage of the process – from when our ingredients arrive at our factories to when we ship our final food and treats out to retailers and consumers. Our comprehensive program ensures the foods you feed your pets, and that we feed our own, are safe.
The health and safety of pets – yours and our own – will never be compromised.
If you read something online that concerns you, or you have any questions about your pet food, please feel free to reach out to our team. We also recommend researching the source of these posts. Some are well-intentioned pet parents who are genuinely concerned and trying to be helpful, while others may be trying to create chaos and distrust of certain brands as an opportunity to sell their own products. Either way, please know that if there is a confirmed issue with any Purina product, we will be sharing that information with our consumers first.
Jan. 5 statement from Purina in response to online allegations
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration tracks recalls for pet products. The last confirmed FDA recall for a Purina product was a voluntary one on March 10, 2023. That voluntary recall applied to the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental prescription dry dog food, with the recall attributed to “potentially elevated levels of vitamin D.”
In a statement to KXAN, an FDA spokesperson said they couldn’t confirm on the specifics of the allegations being made about the Purina product.
“The FDA takes seriously its responsibility to help ensure that pet food ingredients are safe and nutritious. While the agency cannot comment on specifics of these particular illness reports at this time, generally speaking when the FDA becomes aware of pet illnesses, we will evaluate them and determine what – if any – FDA action may be warranted,” the spokesperson said in the email. “The agency encourages pet owners or their veterinarians 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.”
