Below are some frequently asked questions about the class action lawsuit against Champion Pet Foods as answered by the company.

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March 22, 2018

Class Action Lawsuit FAQs

Q. Is there a lawsuit currently filed against Champion Petfoods?
A. Yes. On March 1, 2018 a Class Action Complaint was brought in
California against Champion Petfoods alleging that our dog food contains
levels of “heavy metals and toxins” that might make the food unsafe. The
claims asserted in the lawsuit are meritless and Champion Petfoods
intends to vigorously defend itself in the litigation. Champion Petfoods is
100% confident that our foods are safe for pets and the people who care
for them.

Q. Who brought this lawsuit against Champion Petfoods?
A. The Class Action Complaint has been brought forward by individual
consumers in Minnesota, California and Florida.

Q. Where did these people get their information and why are they
suing us?
A. Individual consumers in Minnesota, California and Florida have
brought forward this Class Action Complaint based on allegations that
our dog food contains levels of “heavy metals and toxins” that might
make the food unsafe.

The Class Action Complaint makes reference to the Clean Label Project,
which claims to be an initiative that tests pet foods for heavy metals and
environmental contaminants. It appears the group has relied upon
opaque testing methods to generate erroneous claims, but
unfortunately, the group does not disclose its testing methodologies or
procedures used, making it difficult to determine how the results were
reached.

Q. What is your response to the lawsuit that was filed against you?
A. We’ve been making foods for dogs and cats for over 25 years and are
100% confident that our foods are safe for pets and the people who care
for them. While we plan to comprehensively refute the wide range of
false allegations in a court of law at the appropriate time, in the interim
we want you to be confident in the safety and quality of our products.
As ensured by the systematic testing of our products at two third-party
laboratories using the Official Methods of Analysis by Association of
Analytical Communities (AOAC), we believe that Champion foods are
safe.

Q. How do we know Champion foods are safe?
A. We source our ingredients from trusted partners who undergo a
rigorous assessment prior to working with us and who are subject to
regular audits by our Certification and Compliance team. Our meat is
sourced from federally inspected facilities that only accept animals
meant for human consumption and our fruits and vegetables are
delivered fresh and whole daily.

Our FDA and SQF (Safe Quality Food) certified Kentucky DogStar®
kitchens operate under HACCP-based food safety standards, and the
facility was the first-ever recipient of the prestigious Global Markets
Award; an international designation for food safety from the Global Food
Safety Initiative.

Our foods are routinely and rigorously tested for nutritional
requirements, heavy metals and other environmental contaminants.

Q. I’ve read recommendations online that I should be testing
samples of Champion Petfoods myself, is that true?
A. We understand that Pet Fooled is encouraging Pet Lovers to pay to
have samples of ORIJEN and ACANA tested for arsenic, cadmium, lead
and mercury at a cost of $150 per sample.

For your peace of mind we want you to understand that monitoring heavy
metal levels is an important control point for us, and has always been a
part of Champion’s food safety and HACCP program. We systematically
test ORIJEN and ACANA products for heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium,
lead and mercury) at two third party laboratories using the Official
Methods of Analysis by Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC).
These are the exact heavy metals that Pet Fooled is encouraging you to
pay for. We share statistically analyzed data from over the past 3 years in
comparison with NRC standards for heavy metals and the MTL’s listed in
the FDA Target Animal Safety Review Memorandum in a White Paper on
our website. ORIJEN and ACANA Foods in Comparison to Pet Food
Safety Standards

Rest assured that our foods and treats are safe. We want you to be
confident in the safety and quality of our products and trust that this
information is helpful. Should you have any other questions please feel
free to contact us.

Q. When will you respond to the lawsuit?
A. We plan to comprehensively refute the wide range of false
allegations in a court of law at the appropriate time.

Q. What is BPA?
A. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic
and epoxy resins, both of which have been approved for decades by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety
Authority, and numerous other government agencies worldwide, for use
in food-contact applications.

Q. Does Champion Petfoods use BPA free packaging?
A. We have been assured by our supplier that all Champion Petfoods
packaging is BPA free.

All Champion packaging is in full compliance with the CFIA in Canada,
FDA in the USA and applicable packaging food additive regulations. In
addition, the raw materials (including resins, additives and processing
aids) used in the manufacturing of our food packaging are cleared for
food contact and processing applications by Federal regulations.

Q. Does Champion test its foods for BPA?
A. Testing from a third-party accredited laboratory ensures our foods
are safe for cats and dogs. Along with these measures, we perform our
own testing, which we are confident provides Pet Lovers with peace-ofmind.
As we use packaging that has been assured by our supplier to be BPA
free, we do not actively test our foods for BPA levels due to the low risk
of inclusion.