Pet Food Company Pays $3.1 Million In Settlement to Pet Owners For Contaminated Food Manufactured in South Carolina

Amy Rothschild

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Diamond Pet Foods with is based in Meta Missouri, will pay $3.1 million in a settlement with pet owners as a result of contaminated pet food that was manufactured in its South Carolina plant. The contaminated pet food resulted resulted in the illness and death of dozens of dogs nationwide including twenty three states, and the recall of twenty brands of cat and dog food.

The pet food contained a mold called aflatoxin. Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring chemical that comes from a fungus sometimes found on corn and in other crops, can cause severe liver damage. The contaminated product was produced at Diamond Pet Foods' plant in South Carolina. After the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing that the company had no records of test results for the last twelve shipments of corn in 2005, when the grain tainted with the deadly fungus entered the plant, Diamond Pet Foods admitted that it's workers in the South Carolina plant neglected to follow internal testing procedure to insure that its products were safe.

The company will set up a fund to reimburse pet owners for the loss of their dog, veterinarian bills and the cost of any unreturned contaminated food, said the attorney who represented a Knoxville, Tennessee family that sued the company. Despite consenting to the $3.1 million dollar settlement, the company maintains that it did nothing illegal, according to the settlement.

The contaminated pet food was sold in 23 states. Diamond recalled about 20 varieties of dog and cat food when a New York veterinarian said in December 2005 that she had linked a dog's death to the company's food.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.