The pets product company Hartz Mountain Corp. is suing a supplier after it was forced to recall thousands of tainted pet vitamins over the past year.
In a lawsuit filed last week in Federal Court against UFAC (USA) Inc., Hartz Mountain alleged the supplier sold it vitamins contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.
"As a result of the inability to sell the cat vitamins and dog vitamins, and as [a] result of the negative publicity due to the defective nature of the products and product recalls, Hartz's ability to compete in this product category, its name brand and good will have all been severely damaged," the company charged in its suit.
According to a report on The Jersey Journal website, Hartz destroyed 2,000 bottles of vitamins in January but has over 60,000 bottles that cannot be sold.
This is not the first time Hartz Mountain faced issues with the safety of its products. In 2005, the company took some of its flea and tick products for cats off the market when the Environmental Protection Agency connected their use with "hair loss, salivation, tremors and even death," according to The Jersey Journal report.
Discussion Questions: Will Hartz Mountain's suit against the manufacturer that allegedly supplied it with tainted vitamins redeem the brand in the minds of consumers? How does Hartz Mountain or any other company dealing with this type of issue rebound from it?