Mid America Pet Food Settlement: What It Covered and Why It Closed

Which pet food products are covered?

• The covered products are the foods listed in Exhibit D to the Settlement Agreement that were sold to U.S. consumers and were included in the listed recalls.
• The complete Exhibit D product list is not reproduced in the supplied notice text. The notice directs readers to the list through its referenced link, so this text alone cannot confirm whether a particular bag or product is covered.
• Other Mid America Pet Food products that are not listed in Exhibit D are excluded. The notice specifically says this includes products with a Best By date after October 31, 2024.

Can I seek both pet-injury and food-purchase benefits?

• You may submit claims for pet injury and/or covered food purchases. In other words, the notice allows both types of claims when they apply.
• For pet injury, the notice provides one valuation for documented losses and a different, fixed payment for a claim supported solely by a declaration. A declaration-only claim is not a documented pet-injury claim.
• For food purchases, you may claim documented purchase losses or use the no-receipt payment of $20 per bag, limited to two bags and $40 per undocumented claim.

What can I request for a pet injury, and what proof is needed?

• A documented pet-injury claim is initially valued at 100% of approved documented losses, with a $100,000 cap for each valid Claim Form seeking pet-injury compensation.
• The notice lists examples of records: invoices, receipts, cancelled checks, veterinary records, business records, pet-purchase records, and similar proof of actual out-of-pocket losses or anticipated future expenses.
• A claim supported only by a declaration has fixed values instead: $50 for a pet that became ill but did not die, and $100 for a pet that died. The administrator may reject a declaration-only claim it finds not credible.

Are there special rules for breeder claims?

• A breeder seeking pet-injury compensation related to a breeding business or operation must provide documentation beyond a declaration.
• The same $100,000 cap applies to each valid breeder Claim Form seeking pet-injury compensation.

What can I request for food I bought?

• With purchase records, a food-purchase claim is initially valued at 100% of the approved amount paid for covered food. Examples include receipts, invoices, shipping order forms, confirmation emails, and proof of payment.
• Without purchase documentation, the stated value is $20 for each covered bag, up to two bags. That means the maximum stated value for one undocumented food-purchase claim is $40.
• All claim values can still change under the Plan of Allocation if the net fund is too small or if money remains after every valid claim is valued at full value.

Why might my payment be different from the stated claim value?

• The total Settlement Fund is $5.5 million, but it also pays notice and administration costs, approved attorneys’ fees and expenses, and service awards. The money left after those items is called the Net Settlement Fund.
• Of the Net Settlement Fund, $1.5 million is to pay valid documented pet-injury and documented food-purchase claims. If money remains from that amount after those documented claims are paid at 100%, it goes to undocumented claims.
• The notice does not promise that the initial claim values will be the final payments. If the Net Settlement Fund is insufficient, valid claims are reduced proportionally. If enough money remains after all valid claims are valued in full, valid claims increase proportionally.

How do I submit a claim, and what is the deadline?

• Complete the Claim Form with all requested information, include the required documents or proof for each reimbursement requested, and sign and date it.
• Submit the form online or mail it to the Settlement Administrator. A mailed claim must be postmarked, and an online claim must be submitted, by February 5, 2026.
• The notice says a late claim will be denied as untimely. It does not provide the full claim-form fields or all supporting-document details in the supplied text.

What if my claim is denied or only partly paid?

• If the Settlement Administrator decides not to pay your claim, or to pay only part of it, it will mail you a letter explaining the amount, if any, and how you may appeal.
• The supplied notice does not state the appeal deadline or the detailed appeal procedure.

What does opting out mean, and how do I do it?

• To leave the settlement, called opting out or excluding yourself, mail a written exclusion request to the Settlement Administrator by January 6, 2026.
• The request must give your full name and current address, clearly say that you want to be excluded from this settlement and class, and include enough proof that you are a Settlement Class Member.
• If you opt out, you cannot receive settlement benefits or object. If you stay in the class, you give up the ability to sue Mid America Pet Food separately over the legal claims released by the settlement.

How can I comment on or object to the settlement?

• You may send a written comment supporting or criticizing the settlement, or object to it, only if you remain in the Settlement Class.
• Your letter must be postmarked by January 6, 2026. It needs the case information, your contact information, your reasons and proof of class membership, and the other listed information, including your signature.
• To have the opportunity to speak at the hearing, a timely objection or comment must say that you intend to appear. The notice says the letter must be mailed to the Court, Settlement Administrator, Class Counsel, and Defendant’s Counsel at the listed addresses.

When could payments be sent?

• The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled by Webex teleconference for February 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM. The Court will decide whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.
• This hearing date does not mean payment is approved or imminent. The notice says allocation occurs as soon as possible after final approval and after any appeals are exhausted, and an appeal can delay distribution.