One of the leading retailers of Rachael Ray‘s pet food is sticking by the star after it was alleged her product contained a harmful chemical, but they’re keeping a close eye on the situation.
PetSmart tells The Blast, “We are aware of this lawsuit and monitoring the situation closely,” adding that “It’s our understanding that the FDA is not involved, and there is no recall in place as there is no health or safety risk associated with the food.”
As we reported, the popular food personality is in the crosshairs of a class action lawsuit after it was alleged that her Nutrish line of pet foods contains the chemical, glyphosate. Glyphosate is a powerful herbicide used in weed-killers, and the lawsuit alleges it may be “related to the rise of pet cancers.”
PetSmart’s statement regarding the FDA is true, the federal agency told us they have not tested finished pet food products for glyphosate, and therefore have no positive results to base any sort of action on. They also told us there has been no “compliance or enforcement actions regarding Nutrish by Rachel Ray.”
The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $5 million, and the J.M. Smucker Company, who makes the food, adamantly said, “As animal lovers and humans, it goes without saying that we do not add pesticides to our products as an ingredient. We plan to aggressively fight these claims.”
Ray stands behind the product as well, and a rep for the star told The Blast she will continue to “feed Nutrish to her own dog Isaboo and her extended pet family.”
