Last week we reported a story about pet food manufacturer Pedigree being slammed with allegations of mysterious fibers showing up in their dog food. Some consumers thought it was wire while others were certain that it was fishing line. Now Pedigree is making an official statement against the allegations and telling their side of the story.
You can read our story about the initial allegations here.
While some owners are claiming that their pets became sick or even died after consuming the tainted food, Pedigree insists the fibers are just animal hair and they are nothing to get concerned about. Still, pet owner Krystle Fayek says that her English Mastiffs have not been playing or acting like themselves since she found the alleged wire in their food.
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She noticed the pictures of Pedigree food popping up on Facebook and she decided to take a look in her own bag. Sure enough, she found 17 pieces of the substance mixed in with the dog food in the bag. She claims that it is the dog food that has made her animals ill.
Pedigree released a statement this week in response to the claims made by consumers. They issued the following statement on their website:
“Your pet’s health is our first priority, and after testing the affected kibble we determined these are naturally occurring fibers from meat and bone meal, like pig hair. Pedigree is still completely safe for your dogs to enjoy. Please call us at 1-800-525-5273 (8:00am-4:30opm CT) or send us a message with your phone number so a member of our animal health team can learn more about why your dog might be sick.”
Pedigree had the dog food in question examined by SEAL Laboratories and they posted these findings:
“Fibers embedded in a food product were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy in order to identify material. The fibers were determined to be organic (carbon-based), consistent with a natural fiber material such as wool or hair. The fibers had no detectable elements consistent with metals. The fibers were not wires.”
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Senior Manager of Corporate Communications for Mars Petcare U.S. (owners of the Pedigree dog food brand) Kaycie Williams released this statement to newsnet5.com:
“We have reviewed product samples and have confirmed that it is natural fibers that consumers are seeing in the kibble. Because Pedigree is manufactured using meat and bone meal, it's possible for natural fibers, like pig hair, to appear in the finished kibble. There is absolutely no quality or safety concern with the natural fibers. They are completely safe for dogs to consume. We can assure you that our Pedigree products are safe and nutritious. Quality and food safety is our top priority as we conduct over 600 quality checks each day in our plants, including metal detection. Because we take every consumer concern seriously, we encourage them to reach out to us at 1-800-525-5273.”
We'll be sure to keep you updated with any new findings or any legal issues that may come from these allegations.
