Purina has been forced to deny what it describes as “online rumours” that have caused a stir on TikTok in recent weeks alleging that its Pro Plan food has sickened dozens of pets, mostly dogs.
Days after the company issued a statement in which it said “these false statements may be creating unnecessary stress for pet parents,” a Purina spokesperson said Thursday that there is “absolutely no data showing the us that there is a pattern of problems” with any Purina Product.
“Over the past few days, we’ve seen an increase in consumers who are fearful and reaching out to ask if we have a product recall or issue after seeing this rumor,” spokeswoman Lorie Westhoff said in an email. “In response, we inform them that these rumors are not true and that our food is safe to eat.”
Purina, based in St. Louis and a subsidiary of Nestlé, are responding to unverified accounts shared on TikTok videos that have accumulated thousands of views, and on a public Facebook group with 62,000 members called Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time . Dogs are having seizures, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, according to these accounts, and some are dying, after eating Purina Pro Plan food.
Concerned pet owners have encouraged a boycott of Purina. Last week, the Facebook group received nearly 197 anecdotal reports that animals — 151 dogs and 46 cats — got sick, and 51 of them died.
Purina said there is no evidence to support those reports.
“We know it’s a rumor because we don’t have absolute data that shows us there’s a pattern of problems with any particular product,” Ms. Westhoff. “As a company that feeds more than 100 million cats and dogs each year, we never compromise on pet health.”
In its statement last week, Purina said the sources of some of the posts were “well-intentioned pet parents who are genuinely concerned and trying to help,” while others “may be trying to create confusion and distrust of certain brands as an opportunity. to sell their own product.”
In 2022, consumers will spend more than $136.8 billion on pets in the United States, with more than 65 million households owning dogs and about 46.5 million households owning cats, according to a Forbes Advisor survey published last week.
The numbers 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 garnered millions of views in recent weeks that claim hundreds of dogs have become ill after eating Purina. Ms. Fusaro, whose website says he has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science, referred to some of the descriptions in Saving Pets One Pet @ A Time.
“I am not confirming whether or not there is anything wrong with Purina,” he said in a TikTok video. But he added that he would “personally stop” using Purina products despite the lack of an official recall. Ms. could not immediately be contacted. Fusaro for comment on Thursday.
In response to emailed questions Thursday, Purina said Ms. Fusaro of any evidence of connection between any diseases and a Purina product.
said Ms. Westhoff, the Purina spokesman, said the company is “considering other ways to address this directly with those who started the rumor.”
“They have acknowledged in many ways that they have no evidence that there is an issue with Purina products but continue to deliberately spread this misinformation,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration does not have a recent listing for a recall affecting Purina products. Purina’s last voluntary recall was in March 2023, after a “food supplier error” resulted in potentially elevated vitamin D levels in Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EL Elemental prescription dry dog food.
said Ms. Westhoff that “there is no connection” between the latest rumors “and the food we voluntarily recalled last year.”
In that case, he said, investigators following up on a pair of consumer complaints found the cause was “an error that occurred with a third-party blender.”
“We immediately decided to voluntarily recall the product and notify the FDA,” he said.”
The FDA said in a statement Thursday that it cannot comment on recent reports of pet illnesses circulating online but, “in general,” it is reviewing them to determine if action is necessary. It encouraged pet owners and veterinarians to report illness or other adverse events associated with pet food directly to the agency.
