If you purchased Victor, Wayne Feeds, Eagle Mountain, or Member’s Mark pet food between October 31, 2022 and February 29, 2024, you may be entitled to compensation from a $5.5 million class action settlement with Mid America Pet Food, LLC. The claim form, available at midamericapetfoodsettlement.com, offers multiple tiers of payment — ranging from $20 per bag without a receipt up to $100,000 for documented pet injury losses. For example, if your dog got sick after eating recalled Victor brand kibble and you visited a vet, you could file a Pet Injury Claim with your veterinary records and seek full reimbursement of those costs. The settlement resolves the case Filardi v. Mid-America Pet Food, LLC (Case No.
23-cv-11170-NSR) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It stems from multiple voluntary recalls issued in September through November 2023 after the FDA identified potential Salmonella contamination at Mid America’s manufacturing facility in Mount Pleasant, Texas. The CDC and FDA linked 7 human Salmonella Kiambu infections to the recalled products, and disturbingly, 6 of those 7 cases involved children one year of age or younger.
Table of Contents
- What Does the Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Settlement Claim Form Require?
- Which Products Are Covered Under the Salmonella Recall Settlement?
- How Serious Was the Salmonella Contamination and Why Does It Matter for Your Claim?
- How to File Your Claim Before the February 5, 2026 Deadline
- Common Pitfalls When Filing Mid America Pet Food Settlement Claims
- What Happens After You Submit Your Claim?
- The Broader Impact of the Mid America Pet Food Recall
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Does the Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Settlement Claim Form Require?
The claim form is split into two distinct claim types, and you can file one or both depending on your situation. The first is a Consumer Food Purchase Claim, which covers the cost of the recalled pet food you bought. The second is a Pet Injury Claim, which covers veterinary bills, pet illness, or pet death linked to the contaminated products. Each has its own documentation requirements and payout structure, so understanding the difference before you start filling out paperwork matters. For purchase claims, the form asks whether you have proof of purchase. If you kept your receipts, you can claim 100% of the approved purchase price.
If you tossed the receipt — as most people do with a bag of dog food — you can still claim $20 per bag for up to 2 bags, capping out at $40 total. That is not a lot of money, but it requires nothing more than a declaration under penalty of perjury that you bought the product. By comparison, the pet injury side of the form is where the significant compensation lives, with documented claims eligible for up to $100,000. For pet injury claims, you will need to provide supporting documentation such as veterinary records, invoices, and any other evidence of your pet’s illness or death related to the recalled food. If you do not have formal documentation but your pet became ill, a declaration-only claim pays $50 per sick pet. If your pet died, that figure rises to $100 per pet — still a declaration only, no receipts required. These amounts are modest, but they exist precisely because the settlement administrators recognize that not every pet owner had the resources or foresight to document everything in the moment.
Which Products Are Covered Under the Salmonella Recall Settlement?
The settlement covers products manufactured at Mid America Pet Food’s Mount Pleasant, Texas facility that were subject to the voluntary recalls issued between September and November 2023. The affected brands include Victor Super Premium Dog & Cat Food, Wayne Feeds Dog & Cat Food (including Wayne Feeds Gold), Eagle Mountain Pet Food, and Member’s Mark Pet Food. The specific products are listed in Exhibit D of the settlement agreement, and you should check that document carefully before filing because not every product sold under these brand names is necessarily included. This is an important limitation. If you bought Victor dog food, for instance, but the specific formula or lot number you purchased is not listed in Exhibit D, your claim could be denied.
The exhibit is available on the official settlement website at midamericapetfoodsettlement.com, and it is worth cross-referencing the UPC codes and product descriptions against what you actually bought. If you still have the bag or a photo of the label, that will help. However, if you no longer have the packaging and cannot confirm the exact product, you may still file a declaration-only claim — the settlement does not require you to produce the physical bag. It is also worth noting that the purchase window runs from October 31, 2022 through February 29, 2024. If you bought one of these products outside that date range, you are not eligible regardless of brand or product match. This window predates the actual recall announcements, which began in September 2023, because the contamination issues at the facility may have affected products manufactured well before the public was notified.
How Serious Was the Salmonella Contamination and Why Does It Matter for Your Claim?
The FDA and CDC investigation that preceded this settlement uncovered genuinely alarming findings. Seven confirmed human Salmonella Kiambu infections were linked to the recalled pet food, and six of those seven cases involved children one year of age or younger. Five of the infected individuals reported exposure to dogs in their households, and three specifically reported feeding Victor brand pet food. For families with infants who were handling pet food or crawling on floors where contaminated kibble might have been, the risk was not hypothetical — it was documented. On November 22, 2024, the FDA issued a formal warning letter to Mid America Pet Food LLC regarding the contamination at their Mount Pleasant facility.
This letter is public record and adds regulatory weight to any claims you might file. If you are pursuing a pet injury claim and want to bolster your case, referencing the FDA’s findings and the timeline of the investigation can demonstrate that the contamination was widespread and officially acknowledged, not speculative. For claimants whose pets became seriously ill or died, these facts matter because they establish a clear causal chain. The contamination was confirmed by federal agencies, the products were recalled, and human infections were documented. If your pet showed symptoms consistent with Salmonella — vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever — during or after consuming these products, the settlement framework already assumes the connection. You do not need to independently prove that your specific bag was contaminated; the class action has done that work collectively.
How to File Your Claim Before the February 5, 2026 Deadline
You have two options for submitting your claim: online or by mail. The online portal at midamericapetfoodsettlement.com is the faster and more reliable route. You fill out the digital form, upload any supporting documents, and receive confirmation of submission. If you prefer paper, you can download the claim form from the same website, complete it by hand, and mail it to the settlement administrator, Angeion Group. Mailed forms must be postmarked by February 5, 2026. The tradeoff between online and mail filing is straightforward.
Online submissions give you an immediate record and eliminate the risk of postal delays or lost mail. Paper submissions give you a physical copy for your own records but introduce the possibility that your form arrives late or gets separated from your attachments. If you are submitting a documented pet injury claim with veterinary records and invoices, the online portal’s upload feature is far more convenient than mailing photocopies. Either way, do not wait until the last day — the final approval hearing is scheduled for February 6, 2026, just one day after the claim deadline, so there is no buffer for late submissions. If you want to opt out of the settlement and preserve your right to sue Mid America Pet Food independently, or if you want to object to the settlement terms, both of those deadlines have already passed — January 6, 2026 was the cutoff for exclusions and objections. At this point, your only option as a class member is to file a claim or do nothing. Doing nothing means you receive no payment and give up your right to sue over the recalled products.
Common Pitfalls When Filing Mid America Pet Food Settlement Claims
The biggest mistake claimants make in settlements like this is underestimating the documentation requirements for higher-tier payouts while overcomplicating the simpler claims. If you are filing a no-receipt purchase claim for $20 per bag, the process is minimal — you sign a declaration and submit. Do not overthink it or delay because you are trying to find a receipt from two years ago. File the declaration claim now, and if you happen to locate receipts later, contact the settlement administrator about upgrading your claim. On the other end, if you are pursuing a documented pet injury claim, be thorough. Gather every veterinary record, invoice, medication receipt, and any correspondence with your vet about your pet’s condition. The settlement allows up to $100,000 for documented pet injury losses, but “documented” is doing heavy lifting in that sentence.
Incomplete records will result in a reduced payout or denial. One limitation to be aware of: the $100,000 cap is per claim, and the total settlement fund is $5.5 million. If documented injury claims exceed the fund, payouts may be reduced on a pro rata basis, meaning everyone gets a proportional share rather than the full approved amount. Another common issue is filing under the wrong claim type. The form distinguishes between pet illness and pet death for declaration-only claims — $50 for illness, $100 for death. If your pet became ill but survived, do not accidentally check the death box hoping for a larger payout. False declarations carry legal consequences, and the settlement administrator does review submissions for consistency.
What Happens After You Submit Your Claim?
Once you file, your claim goes to Angeion Group, the settlement administrator, for review. They will verify that your claim meets the eligibility requirements, check your documentation if applicable, and calculate your payment amount. This process takes time. Payments will not be issued until after the Court grants final approval at the February 6, 2026 hearing, and even then, any appeals filed by objectors or the defendant could delay distribution further.
In similar class action settlements, the period between final approval and actual checks arriving has ranged from a few months to over a year depending on whether appeals are filed. If the settlement administrator needs additional information from you, they will reach out using the contact details you provided on the claim form. Make sure your mailing address and email are current and that you monitor them. Failing to respond to a request for supplemental documentation is one of the most common reasons otherwise valid claims get denied.
The Broader Impact of the Mid America Pet Food Recall
This $5.5 million settlement is significant not just for the affected pet owners but for the pet food industry as a whole. The FDA’s formal warning letter to Mid America Pet Food, issued in November 2024, put other manufacturers on notice that contamination failures at production facilities will be met with regulatory action and, inevitably, litigation.
For consumers, the settlement reinforces the importance of monitoring FDA recall notices and keeping purchase records for pet food, even though few people think to do so. Looking ahead, if you are a pet owner who buys from any brand, the practical takeaway is to save receipts for pet food purchases — even a photo of the receipt on your phone — and to register for FDA recall alerts. The difference between a $40 payout and a fully documented claim worth thousands of dollars often comes down to whether you kept a $30 receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a receipt to file a claim in the Mid America Pet Food settlement?
No. You can file a declaration-only purchase claim for $20 per bag, up to 2 bags ($40 maximum), without any receipt. However, if you have receipts, you can claim 100% of the purchase price with no stated per-bag cap.
What if my pet got sick but I did not take them to the vet?
You can still file a declaration-only Pet Illness Claim for $50 per pet that became ill, or $100 per pet that died. No veterinary records are required for these declaration-only claims.
Can I file both a purchase claim and a pet injury claim?
Yes. The settlement allows you to submit both a Consumer Food Purchase Claim and a Pet Injury Claim on the same form, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements for each.
What brands and products are covered?
Victor Super Premium Dog & Cat Food, Wayne Feeds Dog & Cat Food (including Wayne Feeds Gold), Eagle Mountain Pet Food, and Member’s Mark Pet Food. The specific covered products are listed in Exhibit D of the settlement agreement, available at midamericapetfoodsettlement.com.
Can I still opt out of the settlement and sue on my own?
No. The opt-out deadline was January 6, 2026. If you did not submit an exclusion request by that date, you are bound by the settlement terms and cannot pursue an independent lawsuit against Mid America Pet Food for claims covered by this case.
When will I receive my payment?
Payments will be issued after the Court grants final approval (hearing scheduled for February 6, 2026) and after any appeals are resolved. The exact timeline depends on whether appeals are filed, but expect several months at minimum after final approval.