Champion Pet Foods on DCM and FDA
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June 28, 2019 CHAMPION PETFOODS UPDATE ON DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY To Champion Petfoods Distributors and Retailers: From: John Frierott, Interim CEO and COO Dear Trusted Partner, I am writing today to provide you with an update on the important issue of Dilated Cardiomyopathy, or DCM, in dogs. On June 27, 2019 the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) posted an update on DCM which included reports it has received regarding pets with DCM. The update listed Champion Petfoods’ brands, along with many other pet food companies’ brands, as foods that some pets who were diagnosed with DCM had eaten. The FDA’s announcement says it is “continuing to investigate and gather more information in an effort to identify whether there is a specific dietary link to development of DCM.” More specifically, its announcement today provides no causative scientific link between DCM and our products, ingredients or grain-free diets as a whole. We think it is misleading for the FDA to post the names of brands, while at the same time fully stating that they have no scientific evidence linking diet to DCM. We anticipate that this unfortunate decision by the FDA will only serve to further confuse Pet Lovers, which will in turn create challenges for you. It’s important that you know that Champion is not sitting idly as Pet Lovers struggle to understand this issue. Therefore, we are providing you with the attached document to inform you of the actions we are taking relative to DCM. Additionally, we will be responding to social media and other public commentary with stronger, more direct messaging, and will be working with Pet Lover publications to educate consumers with the facts. We recognize that the DCM issue is disruptive to your business, but we want you to know that we have the right people and knowledge at Champion, and we assure you that our foods are safe. Many of our foods have been recently enhanced or reformulated where required. Our NorthStar ACANA Singles foods were updated with the addition of taurine, while our DogStar ACANA Singles foods were reformulated in 2018 with more meat inclusions. This enhanced meat inclusion will be made to our NorthStar Singles foods as well, in 2020. I also want to thank you for your understanding and continued support as we, along with the rest of our industry, work to address this frustrating situation. If you have any questions about this new FDA announcement or how Champion is handling it, please contact your Customer Engagement representative or our Customer Care team. Thank you for your continued trust in Champion. We don’t take that trust lightly and will continue our work in providing the World’s Best Petfood. Sincerely, John Frierott |
