Hill’s Pet Nutrition finds itself in hot water facing a whopping $2 billion class action lawsuit from boutique dog food maker, Ketonatural.
The lawsuit alleges that Hill’s cooked up a fake story linking boutique, exotic, and grain-free (BEG) dog foods with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) back in 2018 to crush their competition.
The lawsuit accuses Hill’s of spreading false information to steer consumers away from grain-free and boutique dog foods. Allegedly, they roped in certain Hill’s-affiliated vets to gather biased data to push the Food and Drug Administration into looking into the connection.
This misleading info was then blasted out through vets, articles, and social media channels.
According to the complaint, Hill’s used their scientific know-how and extensive network of vets to convince pet owners that grain-free diets weren’t just a passing trend, but actually harmful to dogs. This ploy aimed to wipe out the entire grain-free pet food market.
The scheme has been running successfully (albeit unlawfully) ever since.
The lawsuit points the finger at Hill’s, singling them out from pet food giants Purina and Mars for a few reasons.
Hill’s is the smallest of the three, with a fraction of the revenue of Purina. As a major player in “prescription-only” diets and the self-proclaimed “#1 Vet Recommended Brand,” Hill’s has deeper ties to the vet community compared to Mars and Purina.
What sets Hill’s apart is its poor financial performance leading up to 2018, when the alleged misconduct began. While independent pet food brands were on the rise, Hill’s struggled to keep up.
They saw their market share drop as competitors surged ahead, like Blue Buffalo.
In a bid to turn the tide, Hill’s and their cohorts allegedly embarked on a shady mission to smear the reputation of independent pet food brands. They falsely linked these products to DCM, a serious heart condition in dogs, in an effort to claw back market share.
The lawsuit details a web of deception involving Hill’s, academic vets, and front organizations working together to manipulate the narrative around DCM. From influencing the FDA investigation to distorting study findings, the defendants allegedly left no stone unturned in their scheme.
As the legal battle unfolds, Colgate-Palmolive, Hill’s parent company, has yet to respond. This showdown in the legal arena is poised to be a lengthy and contentious affair.
If you’re curious and want to dive into all the nitty-gritty details, you can check out the full 124-page legal complaint HERE.