What’s Below The Surface With Answers Pet Food Recent Announcement – Truth about Pet Food

October 31, 2021 Kar-Bay-Inc 0 Comments

Answers Pet Food recently (10/29/21) sent a concerning email/letter to distributors and retailers. Excerpts from the letter from President and CEO Keith Hill are quoted below.

“We are reaching out to you with a brief communication about information regarding the legal dispute between our Company and the owners and consultants of Kure Pet Food. Specifically, a lawsuit was filed against us on July 21, 2021 by the consultants of Kure. Approximately one month later, we defended ourselves in that suit against us and filed a claim against Kure and its consultants.”

As background, the “owners and consultants of Kure Pet Food” mentioned in the above letter are the former ingredient suppliers of Answers Pet Food (owners of Kure Pet Food), and the “consultants” are the former founding partners of Answers Pet Food, the ex-wife of Answers Pet Food President Keith Hill – Jacqueline Hill, and the former sister-in-law of Answers President Keith Hill – Roxanne Stone.

The letter to distributors and retailers from Answers Keith Hill goes on to say that the lawsuit resulted in an injunction against Kure Pet Food, prohibiting them from making or selling pet food. But, an appeal was filed and the higher court (temporarily) overturned the injunction (Kure Pet Food is allowed to manufacture and sell pet food). Keith Hill’s letter stated Answers Pet Food hopes “justice will prevail” – indicating Hill/Answers believes it is ‘just’ if his former wife and sister in-law along with the company they work for are prevented from making pet food.

Below the surface…here’s what Keith Hill of Answers Pet Food letter didn’t tell retailers and distributors:

The lawsuit filed against Answers Pet Food by Jacqueline Hill and Roxanne Stone – the lawsuit Answers claimed they had to defend themselves against – was to ask the court to facilitate the agreed upon buyout of Hill and Stone from Answers. According to the lawsuit, Answers pet food was required to buyout the shares of Answers from Hill and Stone “promptly” after receipt of a “Transfer Notice” delivered to Answers on February 12, 2021 (five months prior to the lawsuit). Jacqueline Hill and Roxanne Stone waited for five months for Answers to abide by the “Operating Agreement“. But that didn’t happen. Per the lawsuit, Keith Hill and Answers Pet Food ignored the Operating Agreement contract, ignored their obligation to buyout the ownership of Jacqueline Hill and Roxanne Stone’s shares of Answers pet food.

In other words, what the Answers Pet Food letter to distributors and retailers neglected to tell was Answers Pet Food has not abided by their own legal contract requiring them to buyout their former partners. Why haven’t they? Is the new Answers acting in anger? Why is Answers Keith Hill trying to imply the company is a victim when per the initial lawsuit Answers has failed to abide by their own contract?

Kure Pet Food has responded to the Answers letter to distributors/retailers. In part stating “Answers is in violation of its own longstanding company LLC agreement, which required Answers to buy out Jacqueline and Roxanne upon their resignation. Answers’ continuing refusal to adhere to this legal agreement appears to be an effort to keep the sisters trapped, in violation of their rights and their free will.”

My own experiences with Answers Pet Food.

I had been a customer of Answers Pet Food for many years. That ended in July 2021 when I purchased a bulk box of Answers that was so sloppily prepared, large portions of pet food were stuck to the outside of the chubs.

This was not pet food that had oozed out of a damaged chub, all the chubs in the case were fully intact. This was large chunks of pet food that was sloppily dropped onto the chubs within the box and ignored. In years of purchasing pet food from Answers, this had NEVER happened before. That was the last Answers pet food I purchased, I don’t trust my pet’s lives with sloppily manufactured pet foods.

Answers Pet Food has been a brand included in my annual List since the document began in 2012. The brand was removed from the 2021 List when two of the founding partners left the company. In late August 2021, Jesse Lee of (the new) Answers Pet Food contacted me via email regarding the 2022 List. When I was alerted to the lawsuit Answers filed against Kure, it was clear to me that this was never again a pet food I would consider to give my own pets – thus they would not be considered for the 2022 List. I also don’t trust my pet’s lives with a pet food manufactured by a company whose morals don’t align with my own.

When I informed Jesse Lee of Answers Pet Food to this decision, he responded with anger. Quotes from emails with Jesse Lee of Answers Pet Food:

“The legal actions you are speaking of were implemented by Kure first, they filed suit against Answers before anything else happened. As such, I do not expect to see a company like them anywhere near your list next year as well. By not giving Answers the opportunity to be considered for it is only proof that your List is not 100% accurate, and maybe even a little biased.”

Personal opinion: the new Answers Pet Food is a company very different from the old Answers Pet Food. And that is such a shame. Pet owners need more brands made by a company with an attitude focusing on making quality products instead of companies that feel the need to be angry and nasty.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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