Dear General Mills,

I am writing to bring your attention to a critical issue concerning the design of Yoplait yogurt containers that is having devastating consequences for wildlife. Numerous cases have been reported of animals getting their heads stuck in certain containers due to a design flaw where the top is smaller than the bottom. General Mills Yoplait containers are the only one that is designed this way and is always the culprit  

This flaw is causing distress, death and harm to these animals as they are unable to free themselves, leading to potential starvation, dehydration, and even fatal accidents when the animals blindly end up in roads. I have seen this firsthand as I am a wildlife rehabilitator and seeing the conditions that these animals suffer from trying to eat your product is very saddening, but the ones that get to me are the “lucky” ones as they aren’t the ones that died alone from starvation and dehydration with a Yoplait cup stuck on their head.  Good Samaritans and law enforcement officers are risking their lives to rescue these animals from dangerous situations, and the current design poses a serious threat to both the rescuers and the animals.

I implore you to consider the gravity of this situation and the potential liability that may arise, now that you’re made aware, from harm and/or death, caused to humans and animals due to this design flaw. A quick search on the internet will reveal numerous instances of your product causing harm to wildlife, and the responsibility to rectify this issue lies with General Mills.

I urge you to cease production of this particular design and switch to one of the alternative cup designs that you already have in production for other yogurt products with the same volume. By making this change, you can prevent further harm to wildlife and reduce the risk of injuries or fatalities to those trying to assist these distressed animals.

The evidence of these incidents is widely available on the internet, highlighting the urgency and importance of addressing this issue promptly. By taking swift action, General Mills can demonstrate its commitment to environmental responsibility and wildlife preservation.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter, and I hope General Mills will take swift action to address and rectify this critical issue. Now that you are made aware of the possibility of a Good Samaritan possibly getting killed by traffic, or contacting a zoonotic disease such as rabies, trying to take your cup off of an animals head to save their life, you could be held liable.  

This is no news to General Mills.

In August 1998, under pressure from animal activists, General Mills added this to the label: Protect Wildlife Crush Cup Before Disposal, placing responsibility for their hazardous packaging onto the consumer.

General Mills refused, however, to make the necessary changes to the flawed design, citing:

"That design is a key lure for customers, and changing it could harm sales," a spokesperson for General Mills said." 

in 1998 Rebecca Dmytryk started a petition for this and got 133,332 signers and General Mills refused to budge  if any attorney can help me, I’d sure appreciate it  

What can we do in the meantime whilst General Mills hasn’t changed their cups? Stop buying their products, especially those Yoplait cups in question & ask your family and friends to do the same! 

Sincerely,

Tonya Poindexter

President & wildlife rehabilitator

Wilderness Trail Wildlife Center

1505 Court Road

London, Ky 40744