Blue Buffalo Recalls Can and Biscuit Products Due To Tampering By American Nutrition Inc.

April 26, 2007

The Blue Buffalo Company has just learned that American Nutrition Inc. (ANI), the manufacturer of all Blue Buffalo cans and biscuits, has been adding rice protein concentrate to Blue Buffalo can formulas without the company’s knowledge and without the company’s approval. This is product tampering, and it apparently has been going on for some time. The can formulas that Blue Buffalo developed, and trusted ANI to produce, never contained any rice protein concentrate. It appears that only an FDA investigation of ANI’s rice protein concentrate supplies forced them to reveal this product tampering to Blue Buffalo.

While this activity by ANI is in itself unlawful, the situation is further clouded by the fact that ANI has been receiving rice protein concentrate from Wilber-Ellis, some of which the FDA has determined to be contaminated with melamine.

So while no BLUE or Spa Select canned product has tested positive for the presence of melamine, and there has been no reported illness due to any of Blue Buffalo’s canned products, the company simply cannot be sure of what ANI has been including in uts formulas. For this reason, Blue Buffalo has decided to remove all of its canned and biscuit products from retail distribution. While this may seem to many to be a major over-reaction, as other ANI customers will probably only recall the products that tested positive for melamine, Blue Buffalo sees this as a matter of integrity.

Blue Buffalo was founded on the principle of providing dogs and cats with the highest quality and most nutritious food, and the company will not sell any product that doesn’t meet this standard. And under these circumstances, Blue Buffalo cannot say that any products manufactured by ANI measure up.

The obvious question is “how could Blue Buffalo not know that ANI was putting rice protein concentrate into its canned food?” The answer is Blue Buffalo trusted them. In business and in life, we all trust our partners to deal with us honestly. When we buy produce from our local grocery store, we are trusting growers, shippers and a series of handlers to have delivered a product that is safe and nutritious for our family. If any one of these parties betrays our trust, contaminated products can make their way to our dinner table.

And while Blue Buffalo tests for known toxins and contaminants, it doesn’t test for protein sources, like rice protein concentrate, especially when the company did not formulate its products to contain them.

In the end, this all comes down to an issue of integrity, and ANI has not been honest with Blue Buffalo and with the pet parents who buy the company’s products. Blue Buffalo will not put any product made by ANI on the shelf, and is temporarily withdrawing an important part of its business in order to be true to its pet parents.

Blue Buffalo has already started the process of identifying a can and biscuit manufacturer with whom it can build a partnership based on trust. Once it has accomplished this, BLUE and Spa Select cans and BLUE Health Bars will be reintroduced with the high quality and superior nutrition that the brand stands for and that dogs and cats deserve.

Blue Buffalo has informed its retail partners and the FDA about this action and will be cooperating with them to complete this recall quickly. The specific product involved includes all “BLUE” brand can dog foods, all “Spa Select” brand can cat foods and all “BLUE Health Bar” treats.

Consumers who have unused or partially used packages of any of these products should return them to their place of purchase for a complete refund.

All “BLUE” dry natural food for dogs and “Spa Select” dry natural foods for cats are not affected by this recall and are safe for consumption. Should consumers have a specific question, they can call the Company at 1-800-919-2833, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm EDT, to receive more information.