Case Study:
Pet Food Recall
Renina Fuller
Flagler College
Background
Menu Foods produces dog and cat food for Procter & Gamble, Iams, Science Diet, Wal-Mart, and several other large organizations. In March 2007, more than 90 brands of dog and cat food were recalled. Menu Foods had between 40% and 50% of the market share for wet pet food in North America. In late 2006, to save money, Menu switched to a Chinese manufacturer for their wheat gluten. The manufacturer used melamine in their wheat gluten in order for the gluten to appear to have higher protein content. Melamine is a plastic by-product and can used as a fertilizer or to make plastic products.
In February 2006, Menu started receiving information that animals were getting sick after eating the pet food. Menu conducted a taste-test on their animal, which resulted in at least nine animal deaths. In March, Menu finally notified the U.S. distributor they were investigating the Chinese wheat gluten as possible
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• Incorporate a Consumer Hot Line.
• Immediate responsibility and accountability.
• Control the message immediately for any situation
• Incorporate a specific crisis management campaign
• Identify and implement a recall data information sharing database
• Develop an evolving event communications policy.
References
FOX, M. m., & KENAGY, R. (2015). COMMERCIAL PET FOOD RECALLS: INCENTIVES TO IMPROVE PET FOOD SAFETY. Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, 7(2), 17-39.
Fitzgerald, A. (2009). “It’s a Horrible Coincidence”: Corporate Responsibility and the 2007 Pet Food Recall. Critical Criminology, 17(3), 195-215. doi:10.1007/s10612-009-9078-8
Lancendorfer, K. M. (2009). PET FOOD PANIC: PROCTER AND GAMBLE'S USE OF ISSUES ADVERTISING IN RECALL CRISIS. American Academy Of Advertising Conference Proceedings, 88-89.
Paddock, L. (2015). Manufacturer Recalls Pet Food That Killed Thousands of American Pets. Salem Press
The major complaint out there about Wainwrights Dog Food seems to be not that the food is bad – most people who have tried it love it! It is that the product is priced so closely to competing brands!
Pets, Inc. may argue parody under 15 U.S.C §1125(c)(3)(A)(ii), to assert that they have not impaired the distinctiveness of Chapels mark, parody is not a complete defense under Trademark Dilution due to Pets, Inc.’s use of the mark as its designation of source i.e. as its trademark.
—- . ”Tyson Foods: Living Food Safety." Tyson. Tyson, 28 Feb 2014. Web. 7 Apr 2014.
The biggest weakness for Only Natural Pet Food is the limited shelf-life. To tackle this, we offer smaller bags in the existing stores first. Offering smaller bags the company does not have to stock as much on the shelfs, and allow the company to gauge the sales. Furthermore, with the smaller bags it gives the illusion to the customers of smaller price off setting the higher cost of the
With regulations being set and laws enacted, the United States has seen a change for the better within the food industry and for the consumers overall. As a result, as much as a company is willing to cut on cost, without the consumers, every business in any industry will become bankrupt. The power is in the consumer and as long as consumers are educated properly and willing to speak up, there is a bright future ahead. However, because not everything can be seen, it is important to have books such as The Jungle and authors like Upton Sinclair to let people know what is going on and what not everyone is able to see. In doing so, this will raise awareness, create transparency and demand that companies practice ethically for the betterment of the
Peters, Sharon. "Puppy Mills Face Greater Scrutiny." USA Today 31 Oct 2007, n. pag. Web. 15
Have you ever wondered what you’re feeding your dog? The formulas in each bag of dog food vary anywhere from natural, organic, preserved, and holistic ingredients. The world of dog food is actually very confusing and if you’re anything like me what you feed your fur baby is very critical. In this paper I will discuss the differences from dry to canned, natural to preserved, dog food marketing and how cost sometimes really isn’t the biggest issue.
One objection Norcross states in his essay is that “perhaps most consumers are unaware of the treatment of animals, before they appear in neatly wrapped packages on supermarket s...
Gunnarson, Helen W. "Animal law comes into its own: as Americans place more value -
“If you live in a free market and a free society, shouldn’t you have the right to know what you’re buying? It’s shocking that we don’t and it’s shocking how much is kept from us” (Kenner). For years, the American public has been in the dark about the conditions under which the meat on their plate was produced. The movie, Food Inc. uncovers the harsh truths about the food industry. This shows that muckraking is still an effective means of creating change as shown by Robert Kenner’s movie, Food Inc. and the reforms to the food industry that followed its release.
Ruskin, Gary. "The Fast Food Trap." Mothering No. 121. Nov./Dec. 2003: 34-44. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
For example, just last year P&G issued product recalls affecting Iams and Eukanuba pet foods brands “after its own inspections found the potential for salmonella contamination in a separate lot” (Barney, 2013, para. 2). The recalls happened nearly after The Food and Drug Administration’s onsite inspection found cases of Salmonella in the company’s Natura pet food products. Since the pet food industry was one of P&G’s sluggish divisions due to weak sales, the company has now divested it; thereby, reduce costs and boost financial numbers. Although no reports were made regarding illnesses, or worst, even death, the recall was enough to cause a decline in company sales; furthermore, the possibility of raising consumer doubt toward P&G’s other product brands. Several additional recalls were made in previous years pertaining to defective child-resistant packaging, mismatched expiration dates, and other forms of bacteria found in healthcare products, (Procter & Gamble, 2014, para. 1). These types of expenditures disrupt financial performance, as product recalls involve replacing products that are faulty, and increase the chances of a lawsuit if fatal suffering were to
The SNHU Pet Supply Store has successfully met consumer needs for pet food, toys, and other pet related items for the past ten years using online and traditional brick and mortar channels. Recognizing that their customer need and wants are changing, the SNHU Pet Store will expand into the all-natural pet food market for dogs and cats with an exciting new product, named Farm to Bowl. This product is made from organic, locally sourced meat and vegetable ingredients, and is intended to meet the changing wants, needs, and desires of today’s consumers for socially responsible and healthy food options for their pets. The initial target market will be upper-middle class, childless dog owners who consider their pets part of their active family. Therefore,
Many cat owners assume they know what their beloved cats are supposed to eat by reading the nutrition label on the cat food bags and comparing to what they know about basic human nutrition. But is that really what they should be doing? The nutrients that cats need is different from what humans need, and by imposing a cat owner’s nutritional views on their cat may be unfair to the cat’s health. What cats eat has a huge effect on the quality of the cat’s life. A cat’s diet is affected by commercial cat food makers and cat owners. A bad decision on their behalf can lead to deadly consequences for the cat.
Millionaire food companies compel and attract customers through advertisements. Wonderful presentations and happy actors on TV are strategically used to state the normality to eat a tempting 2000 calories packed burger. The Advertisements is the secret weapon of the monopoly of these companies. “The processed-food industry should be seen as a public health menace” views by Kelly Brownell, from a Yale University professor of psychology and public health (Moss 3). Today, tobacco advertisements upset the parents of children, but poor diet advertisements are primarily ignored. (Moss