Nutro Dog Food Problems

Since 1926, Nutro Products has offered what it calls healthier and safer dog and cat food. But in 2007, its reputation became tarnished to some, as reports emerged of dogs and cats becoming ill and some dying. Nutro was one of 14 companies that received wheat gluten from a Chinese supplier, Menu Foods. Investigators found several toxins in Menu's products, including melamine, a plastic compound. This triggered a worldwide recall, but complaints against Nutro continue.

  1. Anger Continues

    • Saying Nutro still needs to take more responsibility for quality, some pet owners maintain their animals became sick both before and after the 2007 Menu Foods contamination. Though Nutro recalled six lines that year and said no pet deaths were directly attributed to its products, some maintain the company should have been more open and responsive, especially with any claims of sickness or death that came post-2007.

    No Investigation

    • Disagreement continues over whether the Food and Drug Administration is investigating Nutro. Consumeraffairs.com, an advocacy group, has collected several complaints about ill pets and production problems throughout Nutro's operations. It also reported that the FDA launched an investigation of Nutro in March 2009, a claim that Nutro and the FDA both say is false.

    Zinc Recall

    • Declaring that two of its pre-mix supplies had too much zinc and not enough potassium, Nutro issued a voluntary recall of about 30 types of dry cat food products in May 2009. This affected Nutro Natural Choice and NutroMax purchasers across the United States and 10 other countries.

    Plastic Recall

    • Plastic contamination was feared but never found in fall 2009 when three lines of Nutro dry food were recalled after a worker's hardhat fell into machinery at one of Nutro's plants. This affected lines were destined for Petco and PetSmart stores in California and Arizona.

    Nutro Changes Suppliers

    • No recalls are occurring by Nutro as of spring 2010, Nutro states. The company does say it has changed supply sources that resulted in a fewer quantities of certain products, but indicates this decision was based on production changes and supply issues, not quality concerns.