New lawsuit challenges Blue Buffalo’s claims of “protein-rich” stating a “small bowl” of Blue Buffalo dog food “contains more carbohydrate than a wild grey wolf is likely to consume in an entire lifetime.”

Filed in New York, Blue Buffalo is facing a class action lawsuit regarding the pet food’s marketing and challenging the high carbohydrate levels of kibble. Excerpts from the suit:

This is a proposed class action against Defendant for marketing and labeling its so-called “Blue Wilderness” line of dog food products (“Products”) as healthy, nutritious, and optimal on the basis that they are “[i]nspired by the diet of wolves” and otherwise consistent with dogs’ “ancestors in the wild.” Defendant’s Blue Wilderness packaging prominently displays an image of a grey wolf and promotes these products as “Nature’s Evolutionary Diet.” But Defendant’s claims are deceptive because their Blue Wilderness products all contain high levels of dietary carbohydrates, which are neither healthy for dogs nor a meaningful part of the diet of grey wolves.

As Blue Buffalo marketing utilizes images and video of wolves, this lawsuit challenges what that marketing tells consumers. Emphasizing the difference between diet of a wolf and the Blue Wilderness dog food (marketed with images of wolves).

Millions of dogs in the United States — the vast majority of whom eat carbohydrate-rich kibbles like the ones sold by Defendant — suffer from diabetes. But among wolves — a species that never consumes carbohydrates — there has never been a single documented case. Despite Defendant’s claims on its packaging that Blue Buffalo foods are “Healthy” and “Holistic,” the fact remains that the majority of Defendant’s dog food products are dry, “kibble”-style foods produced via extrusion processing, a manufacturing method which typically requires a high amount of carbohydrate-containing ingredients that are not healthy for dogs. For instance, Defendant’s Blue Wilderness Chicken recipe dry dog food, which Defendant’s packaging touts as “protein-rich,” and “High-Protein” is composed of over 25% carbohydrate. As such, a small bowl of Defendant’s Blue Wilderness Chicken recipe dog food contains more carbohydrate than a wild grey wolf is likely to consume in an entire lifetime.

And this lawsuit addresses the concern of many pet owners, pet food manufacturers do not disclose the percentage of carbohydrates on pet food labels.

Not only are Defendant’s Blue Wilderness products high in carbohydrate content, but the high carbohydrate content of the products is hidden from consumers. Unlike most food products, the carbohydrate content of Defendant’s Blue Wilderness dog food product is not disclosed on any of Defendant’s product labels. Instead, Defendant markets and promotes its dog food products by focusing on the non-carbohydrate nutrients found in the products, such as proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Nor is the carbohydrate content disclosed on Defendant’s website.

To read the full lawsuit, Click Here.





Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton

Pet Food Safety Advocate

Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible

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