Blue Buffalo will not release pet food test results

You might remember that recently some Blue Buffalo pet food was recalled due to excess Vitamin D in their food. Not surprisingly, a well known pet food retailer, Pet Food Express, requested the test results from Blue Buffalo. This is a routine request they make of pet food companies when there’s been a recall. But, unlike other companies they work with though, Blue Buffalo refused, saying their testing results were “proprietary.”

Here’s the info from Pet Food Express about Blue Buffalo’s refusal to release test results :

Several Blue Buffalo dry dog food formulas were recalled in October for high Vitamin D levels. We know from long experience that “limited” recalls often expand to other products so it is our policy that when an item from a manufacturer is recalled, we pull all their products in the same category until they provide us satisfactory documentation of their safety. In our experience, every manufacturer that is concerned about food safety has shared test results and procedural details with us to this end. Blue Buffalo has declined to do so claiming that the information is proprietary and private. Furthermore, the company representative that we were dealing with told us that, “If the information I have already provided does not meet your requirements, I suggest you pull the products permanently from your stores.”

We are committed to safety for your pet. We are not comfortable that we can fulfill that commitment with Blue Buffalo. Therefore we are discontinuing the sale of their products. However, we will keep it available by special order for those who would still like it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us.

Using that old “it’s proprietary” line got way old back in 2007. One would think Blue Buffalo would be eager to share test results if they showed their food was OK. Maybe not.