Payments in the Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Recall Settlement are calculated across three tiers, with the amount you receive depending on whether your pet was injured, whether your pet died, and how much documentation you can provide. At the top end, pet owners with full veterinary records and receipts for a pet that fell ill from contaminated food can recover up to $100,000 in documented losses. At the bottom end, someone who bought recalled food but has no receipts can claim $20 per bag for up to two bags, meaning a maximum of $40. The $5.5 million settlement fund in *Filardi v. Mid-America Pet Food, LLC* covers all approved claims, but every payout is subject to a pro rata adjustment — so the final check you receive could be more or less than the base amount depending on how many people file.
This settlement stems from multiple voluntary recalls Mid America Pet Food issued in September, October, and November 2023 after the FDA identified potential Salmonella contamination at the company’s Mount Pleasant, Texas manufacturing facility. The affected brands include Victor Super Premium Pet Food, Eagle Mountain, Wayne Feeds, and Member’s Mark, the last of which was sold at Sam’s Club. All pet food with a “best by” date before October 31, 2024, fell under the recall. The claim deadline was February 5, 2026, and the final approval hearing was scheduled for February 6, 2026.
Table of Contents
- How Are Payments Calculated in the Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Recall Settlement?
- Which Brands and Products Are Covered by This Settlement?
- How the Pro Rata Adjustment Could Change Your Payment
- What Documentation Do You Need to Maximize Your Payout?
- Common Pitfalls and Limitations in the Claims Process
- How Does This Settlement Compare to Other Pet Food Recalls?
- What Happens After the Final Approval Hearing?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Are Payments Calculated in the Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Recall Settlement?
The settlement divides claimants into three groups based on the severity of harm and the quality of their documentation. Tier 1 covers pet owners whose animals became sick or died and who can back that up with veterinary records, receipts for treatment, and other hard evidence. These claimants receive 100 percent of their approved documented losses, up to a ceiling of $100,000 per claim. So if your dog required $3,200 in emergency vet care after eating contaminated Victor kibble and you kept all the invoices, you could recover the full $3,200 — assuming the settlement fund holds up after all claims are tallied. Tier 2 applies to pet owners who experienced pet illness or death but lack the receipts and vet records to prove their expenses. If you can submit a sworn declaration that your pet got sick after eating the recalled food, you receive a flat $50 per pet that became ill but survived, or $100 per pet that died. The difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 is stark.
A pet owner with $800 in documented vet bills recovers $800 under Tier 1. A pet owner with the same experience but no paperwork recovers $50 under Tier 2. That gap alone should tell you how much documentation matters in class action settlements. Tier 3 handles the largest group of claimants — people who simply bought the recalled food and want their money back, regardless of whether their pet got sick. With receipts, you get 100 percent of the purchase price. Without receipts, you get $20 per bag for up to two bags, capping out at $40 total. If you bought a single 40-pound bag of Victor at $55 and kept the receipt, you get $55 back. If you threw the receipt away, you get $20.
Which Brands and Products Are Covered by This Settlement?
Four brands manufactured at Mid America Pet Food’s Mount Pleasant, Texas facility are included: Victor Super Premium Pet Food, Eagle Mountain, Wayne Feeds, and Member’s Mark. Victor is by far the most widely recognized of the four, sold at farm supply stores and independent pet retailers across the country. Member’s Mark is Sam’s Club’s private-label brand, which means a significant number of claimants may have purchased their recalled food at a warehouse club without keeping detailed records. The eligible purchase window runs from October 31, 2022, through February 29, 2024.
If you bought one of these brands outside that window, you are not covered, even if the product itself was later recalled. This is a common point of confusion — the recall dates in late 2023 are not the same as the eligible purchase period. Someone who stocked up on Victor in early 2022 before the contamination window opened would not qualify, while someone who bought a bag in January 2024, months after the recalls began, would still be eligible as long as the product had a “best by” date before October 31, 2024. If you are unsure whether your specific product falls within the recall, the official settlement website at [midamericapetfoodsettlement.com](https://www.midamericapetfoodsettlement.com/) lists the covered products.
How the Pro Rata Adjustment Could Change Your Payment
One detail that often gets buried in settlement summaries is the pro rata clause. The $5.5 million fund is not unlimited, and the settlement agreement explicitly states that if total approved claims exceed the net settlement fund after legal fees and administrative costs are deducted, every payment gets reduced proportionally. In practical terms, if approved claims add up to twice the available fund, everyone gets roughly 50 cents on the dollar. The flip side is also true. If fewer people file than expected, or if the total value of approved claims comes in well below the fund balance, payments could be increased proportionally. Consider a scenario where a Tier 3 claimant with receipts is owed $55 for a bag of food.
If the fund is oversubscribed by 30 percent, that $55 drops to about $38.50. If the fund is undersubscribed and there is surplus money, that $55 could grow. You will not know your final amount until the claims administrator processes all submissions and runs the math. This is worth understanding because it affects whether filing a claim is worth your time. For Tier 3 undocumented claimants looking at a base payout of $20 to $40, a significant pro rata reduction could push the actual payment into single digits. For Tier 1 claimants with thousands in vet bills, even a reduced payout is likely worth pursuing.
What Documentation Do You Need to Maximize Your Payout?
The gap between documented and undocumented claims is so large in this settlement that gathering paperwork before you file is one of the most important steps you can take. For Tier 1 pet injury claims, you need veterinary records showing the diagnosis, treatment records, and receipts for all expenses. If your vet diagnosed Salmonella or a gastrointestinal illness consistent with Salmonella exposure during the relevant time period, those records become the backbone of your claim. You will also want any receipts showing you purchased one of the four recalled brands during the eligible period, since linking the illness to the food matters.
For Tier 3 purchase refund claims, the documentation threshold is simpler but still makes a twenty-to-one difference in some cases. Acceptable proof of purchase includes receipts, invoices, shipping order forms, confirmation emails, or other proof of payment. If you bought Member’s Mark dog food at Sam’s Club, your Sam’s Club membership account may still have purchase history you can pull up online. Credit card statements showing a charge at a pet supply store are worth digging out as well, though the settlement specifically lists receipts and invoices as preferred documentation. The tradeoff is straightforward: spend 20 minutes finding your records and potentially recover the full purchase price, or file without them and accept the $20-per-bag flat rate.
Common Pitfalls and Limitations in the Claims Process
One limitation that catches people off guard is the cap on undocumented Tier 3 claims. You can only claim up to two bags at $20 each without receipts. If you were a loyal Victor customer who went through a bag every three weeks for a year, the settlement does not care unless you can prove it. Without receipts, your maximum is $40, period. This is a deliberate design choice in class action settlements to prevent fraudulent overclaiming, but it punishes honest buyers who simply did not save their paperwork.
Another issue is the Tier 2 flat-rate structure. A $50 payment for a pet that survived a Salmonella infection and a $100 payment for a pet that died are not calculated based on the actual harm suffered — they are administrative convenience figures. If your cat spent a week at the emergency vet and survived, you get the same $50 as someone whose dog had mild diarrhea for two days, assuming neither of you kept records. The lesson here, and in virtually every product liability settlement, is that contemporaneous documentation is worth far more than a sworn statement after the fact. If your pet is currently ill from a recalled product in any context, document everything immediately — vet visits, diagnoses, prescriptions, food bags, lot numbers, and purchase records.
How Does This Settlement Compare to Other Pet Food Recalls?
The $5.5 million fund here is modest compared to some of the larger pet food contamination cases. The 2007 Menu Foods melamine recall, which killed thousands of pets, resulted in a $24 million settlement.
However, the Mid America Pet Food settlement is notable for its relatively generous Tier 1 cap of $100,000 per claim, which is higher than many comparable settlements offer for individual pet injury claims. For most class members, though, the relevant comparison point is Tier 3. A $40 maximum for undocumented purchase refunds is on the lower end for food recall settlements, where $50 to $75 without proof of purchase is more common.
What Happens After the Final Approval Hearing?
The final approval hearing was set for February 6, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Once the court grants final approval, the claims administrator begins processing all submitted claims, verifying documentation, and calculating payouts.
This review period can take several months, and claimants should not expect checks immediately after the hearing. The pro rata adjustment will be applied once all claims are evaluated, meaning the administrator needs a complete picture of total approved claims before issuing any payments. If you filed a claim, watch your mail and email for correspondence from the settlement administrator, and make sure your contact information is current. Updates are typically posted on the [official settlement website](https://www.midamericapetfoodsettlement.com/).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money will I actually receive from the Mid America Pet Food settlement?
It depends on your tier and documentation. Fully documented pet injury claims pay up to $100,000. Undocumented pet illness claims pay $50 per surviving pet or $100 per deceased pet. Purchase refunds with receipts pay the full price, while those without receipts pay $20 per bag up to $40. All amounts are subject to pro rata adjustment based on total claims filed.
What brands are covered by the Mid America Pet Food recall settlement?
Victor Super Premium Pet Food, Eagle Mountain, Wayne Feeds, and Member’s Mark. The product must have been purchased between October 31, 2022, and February 29, 2024, with a “best by” date before October 31, 2024.
Can I file a claim if my pet did not get sick?
Yes. Tier 3 covers anyone who purchased the recalled products during the eligible period, regardless of whether their pet became ill. You can claim a refund of the purchase price with receipts, or $20 per bag without receipts up to two bags.
What if total claims exceed the $5.5 million settlement fund?
All payments will be reduced on a pro rata basis. If approved claims total twice the available fund, each claimant would receive approximately half of their calculated amount. Conversely, if claims come in below the fund balance, payments could increase.
Do I need a lawyer to file a claim?
No. The claims process is designed for individual consumers to file on their own through the official settlement website. Class counsel already represents the class, and their fees come out of the settlement fund, not from individual claimants.
Where can I find the official claim form?
Visit [midamericapetfoodsettlement.com](https://www.midamericapetfoodsettlement.com/) for the claim form, settlement documents, and the long-form notice with full details about the case.
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