NARB Panel Report # 149 / Blue Buffalo (Summary)

(01/14/2009)
Appeal of NAD Final Decision Regarding Advertising for Blue Buffalo Pet Food

Hill’s Pet Nutrition challenged Blue Buffalo Pet Food in regards to the advertisements’ comparative claims. The challenged claims included (1) claims that BLUE pet food had no animal by-products, (2) claims implying that BLUE pet food had superior nutritional value (relating to nutrients and antioxidants) as compared to leading pet food brands, and (3) claims that Blue Buffalo pet food had ingredients “you put on your own dinner table” and that a consumer can feed BLUE pet food to pets “like you feed your family.”

NAD found that Blue Buffalo did not substantiate the implied claim that BLUE pet food had superior nutritional value (relating to nutrients and antioxidants) as compared to leading pet food brands.

NAD recommends that Blue Buffalo discontinue its claim of no animal by-products – for products that contain meat meal, fish meal and/or animal liver – unless (1) the basis for the no animal by-product claim (e.g., AAFCO standards) is prominently stated and sufficiently explained to overcome a reasonable implication that the product does not contain non-meat ingredients that consumers would reasonably consider to be animal by-products, and (2) there are no proximate claims that product ingredients are similar to what humans eat.


Board Members for Panel # 149

Dr. Jan LeBlanc Wicks (Chair)
Professor & Graduate Coordinator
University of Arkansas

Eric Andrews
Vice President ,WW Demand Generation
IBM Corporate Marketing

Abby Elu
Manager, Learning & Development Global Advertising Services
Campbell Soup Company

Michael Scherb
Director, Corporate Advertising and Branding
PSE&G

Steve J. Farella
President, CEO
TargetCast TCM