Tom Willard of Performance Foods has asked that I post his denial of a rumor
that has been making the rounds about his product, Totally Ferret.  As the
rumor seems to have made its first appearance in print in the FML, as it
could be damaging, if not corrected, to the reputation of his company and to
his own good name, and as it is I believe of general interest to the ferret
community, I hope BIG will print this clarification.
 
Specifically, in a post titled "What is a puppy mill backyard breeder"?
during the protracted FML-athon over Marshall Farms several months ago, Bill
Killian said the following:
 
>Marshall Farms does try to feed their ferrets the best diet possible. Their
>food is one of the best. I personally use Totally Ferret, but it was
>developed with the help of Dr. Bell at Marshall Farms.  Do we boycott
>Totally Ferret because it was developed with the help of Marshall Farms?
 
Many of us did not focus on this statement at the time, as our attention was
focused elsewhere, primarily on the MF issue.  Since then, however, the
Killian post has been reprinted in various ferret newsletters around the
country, and just recently it came to Tom Willard's attention.  Following is
the text of his statement:
 
"Normally I do not like to respond to rumors as it tends to draw undue
attention to them and keep them alive longer than they should be.  However,
I am making an exception to this particular rumor, just because it could
impact many of you.
 
"As a statement of policy, Performance Foods, Inc.  is a private company
owned by the Willard Family.  It is non-affiliated with any other
individual, company or stock holders.  All research, products, and
trademarks and data were developed by and belong exclusively to PFI.
 
"The rumor is that Dr. Judith Bell, DVM, who is employed by Marshall Farms,
helped Performance Foods, Inc. develop Totally Ferret (R).  As stated in
the above paragraph, this is not true.  In today's very competitive pet food
market, it is not logical that any non-affiliated company would help another
in developing a product or providing input into their research, giving them
an edge by which to compete.
 
"Though I duly respect Marshall Farms as worthy competition, as well as
Judith Bell, DVM, I can assure you they did not assist Performance Foods,
Inc., or me personally, in developing Totally Ferret (R)."
[Posted in FML issue 1403]