Before you file a claim in the Mid America Pet Food settlement, you need to gather proof of purchase documents like receipts, invoices, or order confirmations, along with veterinary records if your pet became sick or died after eating contaminated food. If you lack documentation entirely, you can still file an undocumented claim by signing a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury, though your payout will be significantly lower — $40 maximum for food purchases without receipts compared to full reimbursement with them. For pet injury claims, the gap is even starker: up to $100,000 with full documentation versus just $50 or $100 without it. This $5.5 million settlement resolves the class action lawsuit *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. The case stems from Salmonella contamination discovered at the company’s Mount Pleasant, Texas manufacturing facility, which led to three rounds of voluntary recalls in September, October, and November 2023 affecting 35 dog and cat food products sold nationwide. The claim deadline was February 5, 2026, with the final approval hearing scheduled for February 6, 2026. Below, we break down every document you should have in hand, how to file with or without receipts, what qualifies as a pet injury claim, and the specific products and purchase windows that make you eligible.
Table of Contents
- What Documents Do You Need for the Mid America Pet Food Settlement Claim Form?
- Which Products and Purchase Dates Qualify for This Settlement?
- How the Two Claim Types Work and What Each Pays Out
- Step-by-Step Guide to Gathering and Organizing Your Claim Documents
- Common Mistakes and Pitfalls When Filing Your Claim
- Filing Online Versus Filing by Mail
- What Happens After the Claim Deadline
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Documents Do You Need for the Mid America Pet Food Settlement Claim Form?
The documentation you need depends entirely on which type of claim you are filing. The settlement distinguishes between two categories: Consumer Food Purchase Claims and Pet Injury Claims. For a food purchase claim with documentation, you will want receipts, invoices, shipping order forms, confirmation emails, or any other proof of payment showing you bought one of the recalled products. For a pet injury claim, you need veterinary treatment records, vet bills, and diagnosis documentation linking your pet’s illness to the contaminated food. If your pet died, you need veterinary documentation of the death. Here is what matters: you do not need a receipt to file.
The settlement explicitly allows undocumented claims. For food purchases, an undocumented claim pays $20 per bag for up to two bags, capping your payout at $40. For pet injuries, an undocumented claim pays $50 if your pet became ill but survived, or $100 if your pet died. Compare that to documented claims, where you can recover 100% of your approved purchase costs or up to $100,000 in documented veterinary and related losses. The difference between walking in with a folder of records and walking in empty-handed is potentially tens of thousands of dollars. Even if you think you have nothing, check your email for order confirmations from online retailers, look through bank or credit card statements for charges at pet supply stores during the eligible window, and call your veterinarian’s office to request copies of treatment records. These small steps can move you from the undocumented tier into the documented one.
Which Products and Purchase Dates Qualify for This Settlement?
Eligibility hinges on two factors: what you bought and when you bought it. The recalled 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. All of these were manufactured at Mid America Pet Food’s Mount Pleasant, Texas facility and carry best-by dates before October 31, 2024. A full product list with UPC codes and specific lot numbers is available in Exhibit D on the official settlement website at MidAmericaPetFoodSettlement.com. The qualifying purchase window is between October 31, 2022 and February 29, 2024, and the products must have been part of the voluntary recalls issued on September 3, October 30, or November 9, 2023.
If you bought Victor dog food in March 2024, for instance, that purchase likely falls outside the eligible window even if the product itself was later recalled. Similarly, if you purchased a Victor product manufactured at a different facility, it would not qualify. The specificity matters here, so check the lot numbers on your bags against the recall lists before filing. However, if you threw away the bag and cannot verify the lot number, you may still file an undocumented claim. The settlement does not require you to produce the physical product. You just need to attest under penalty of perjury that you purchased an eligible product during the qualifying period.
How the Two Claim Types Work and What Each Pays Out
The Consumer Food Purchase Claim is the simpler of the two. If you have a receipt or proof of payment, you submit it and can recover 100% of what you paid for the recalled product. Without a receipt, you sign a declaration and receive $20 per bag for up to two bags, totaling no more than $40. For someone who regularly bought 40-pound bags of Victor at $50 to $60 each, the documented route could mean recovering several hundred dollars if you made multiple purchases over the 16-month eligibility window. Pet Injury Claims carry much higher potential payouts but require more substantial proof. With full documentation — vet records showing diagnosis, treatment, and costs — you can recover up to $100,000 in approved losses.
This covers veterinary bills, medication costs, and related expenses. Consider a scenario where a dog developed a serious Salmonella infection requiring emergency veterinary care, hospitalization, and follow-up treatment: those bills can easily reach thousands of dollars, all of which would be recoverable under a documented claim. Without documentation, the injury payouts are nominal. A sworn declaration that your pet became sick yields $50. If your pet died, you receive $100. These amounts obviously do not reflect the actual cost of losing a pet or treating a serious illness, which is precisely why gathering whatever veterinary records you can find before filing makes such a significant difference.
Step-by-Step Guide to Gathering and Organizing Your Claim Documents
Start by creating two folders — one physical, one digital — labeled with the case name. In the first folder, collect every receipt you can find from pet food purchases made between October 31, 2022 and February 29, 2024. Check kitchen drawers, filing cabinets, and your car’s glove compartment. Retailers like Costco, Sam’s Club, and Chewy maintain purchase histories in your online account, so log in and download or screenshot any relevant orders. For brick-and-mortar purchases, some stores can look up transactions using your loyalty card or payment method. For pet injury documentation, contact your veterinarian and request a complete copy of your pet’s medical records covering 2023 and 2024.
Ask specifically for visit notes, lab results, diagnosis records, itemized billing statements, and any correspondence about Salmonella testing. If your pet was seen at an emergency clinic, contact that facility separately since those records may not transfer automatically to your regular vet. If your pet died, obtain the death certificate or euthanasia documentation. The tradeoff is time versus money. Spending a few hours tracking down receipts and records could mean the difference between a $40 check and full reimbursement for hundreds of dollars in food purchases, or between a $50 token payment and recovering thousands in veterinary expenses. If your losses were small — say, one bag of food and no pet illness — the undocumented route may be perfectly adequate. But if your pet required medical treatment, the effort to compile records is almost always worth it.
Common Mistakes and Pitfalls When Filing Your Claim
One frequent error is assuming that any Victor or Wayne Feeds product qualifies regardless of where or when it was manufactured. Only products from the Mount Pleasant, Texas facility with best-by dates before October 31, 2024 are covered. If you bought a Victor product after February 29, 2024, or if the lot number does not match those listed in the recall notices, your claim will be denied. Check Exhibit D on the official settlement website carefully before you file. Another mistake is submitting vague or incomplete veterinary documentation for a pet injury claim.
A vet bill alone may not be enough — the settlement administrator will want to see that the diagnosis is consistent with Salmonella exposure and that the timeline aligns with when your pet consumed the recalled food. If your vet did not specifically test for Salmonella, the records should at least show symptoms consistent with it (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever) during a period when your pet was eating the recalled product. A letter from your veterinarian connecting the illness to the food can strengthen a claim considerably. Be warned that all claims require a declaration signed under penalty of perjury. Filing a fraudulent claim — such as claiming a pet injury that did not occur or inflating purchase quantities — carries legal consequences. The settlement administrator reviews claims and can request additional documentation or deny claims that appear inconsistent.
Filing Online Versus Filing by Mail
The most straightforward way to file is online at MidAmericaPetFoodSettlement.com, where you can upload digital copies of your supporting documents directly. This method provides instant confirmation that your claim was received and allows you to save your progress if you need to gather additional paperwork. If you are submitting veterinary records that span multiple visits, scanning them into a single PDF before starting the online form will make the upload process smoother.
Filing by mail is also an option. Your completed claim form and supporting documents must be postmarked by the claim deadline. If you choose this route, make photocopies of everything you send — never mail original receipts or veterinary records. Send the package via a method that provides tracking or delivery confirmation so you have proof it was submitted on time.
What Happens After the Claim Deadline
The final approval hearing was scheduled for February 6, 2026, one day after the claim filing deadline. At that hearing, the court reviews any objections, evaluates the fairness of the settlement terms, and decides whether to grant final approval. If approved, the settlement administrator processes all valid claims and distributes payments from the $5.5 million fund.
Because this is a common fund settlement, the actual payout per claimant depends on how many valid claims are filed — if the total approved claims exceed the fund, documented claims may be reduced proportionally. It is worth noting that the FDA issued a warning letter to Mid America Pet Food LLC on November 22, 2024, signaling ongoing regulatory scrutiny beyond this settlement. For pet owners who continue to purchase from these brands, staying current on FDA recall notices and monitoring the company’s compliance record is a practical step. This settlement addresses past harm, but it does not guarantee future product safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a receipt to file a claim in the Mid America Pet Food settlement?
No. You can file an undocumented claim by signing a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury. However, undocumented food purchase claims are capped at $20 per bag for up to two bags ($40 maximum), and undocumented pet injury claims pay only $50 for illness or $100 for death.
Which pet food brands are covered by this settlement?
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 — specifically products manufactured at the Mount Pleasant, Texas facility with best-by dates before October 31, 2024.
What is the maximum payout for a pet injury claim?
Up to $100,000 for fully documented pet injury claims that include veterinary records, treatment bills, and diagnosis documentation. Without documentation, the payout is $50 if your pet survived or $100 if your pet died.
When did I need to have purchased the pet food to qualify?
Between October 31, 2022 and February 29, 2024. The products must also have been part of the voluntary recalls issued on September 3, October 30, or November 9, 2023.
Can I file a claim if my pet did not get sick?
Yes. You can file a Consumer Food Purchase Claim to recover the cost of the recalled food you bought, even if your pet showed no symptoms of illness. You do not need to have a pet injury to participate in the settlement.
Where do I file my claim?
Online at MidAmericaPetFoodSettlement.com or by mailing a completed claim form postmarked by the claim deadline. The official settlement website also has the full list of eligible products with UPC codes and lot numbers in Exhibit D.