Northbrook Pet Treat Company Responds To TikTok Accusations

NORTHBROOK, IL — In a video that has received nearly four million views as of Oct. 25, a man who said he was an employee of a Northbrook pet supply store claims the company was "forcing" him to place tags with current dates on expired products. TikTok user James Salvinski, who uploaded the video on Wednesday, said in the comment section of the video he has since been fired by Platinum Pet Treats, 1880 Holste Road.

Salvinski uploaded another video Thursday morning saying that he received a call from a lawyer representing Platinum Pet Treats and adding, "hopefully I don't get sued."

Patch has reached out to Platinum Pet Treats for comment, but had not gotten a response to voicemails and email as of late Thursday morning. The company's website is currently under construction. Its Facebook page was last updated on June 29.

UPDATE (10/25)

Platinum Pet Treats released the following statement on its website, dated Oct. 21:

In an effort to provide further clarification, Platinum Pet Treats apologizes for the confusion that may have occurred in the past several days. We need to be crystal clear that our products are not and have never expired. Our products have been subjected to a thorough treatment, the details of which will be made available and they are fit for consumption.

We often consult and consulted with our suppliers and manufacturers and received assurances that the three item variations called into question did not expire in July of 2022. They are safely shipped, stored in appropriate facilities and their packaging stayed intact so fully fit for consumption beyond 2022. We did encounter problems: some of our corrugated carton boxes did arrive in less than optimal shape. That issue was swiftly dealt with and eradicated.

We are fully confident that our products have been and certainly remain safe for consumption. Yet, to be on the safe side, the three item variations at issue are currently being tested. Certainly, we follow and have followed strict quality assurance protocols prior to shipping each and every product.

The recent social media claims are not true. Unfortunately, Platinum Pet Treats was forced to part ways with the author on Monday the 17th prior to him posting his claims and prior to the company being made aware of the claims, solely for reasons related to work performance.
Platinum Pet Treats is a small business that highly values its customers and puts their safety and well-being front and center. We actively work to address the current concerns and remain firmly committed to the highest standards of quality. Once we get more information from the manufacturer, we will release an additional statement.

A business license for the business is registered to Dragos Boscoianu, of Chicago. According to a press release from the company, it was formed in November 2021. In since-deleted LinkedIn profiles, Adela Niciu listed herself as the owner of Platinum Pet Treats, and her husband, Christian Niciu, listed himself as the chief executive officer of the company.

In the first 90-second video, Salvinski is seen sitting at a table littered with sticker tags.

"This is my first TikTok video, and unfortunately, I have to make it," said Salvinski, who holds up a product with an expired sticker date of July 2022 on it.

Salvinski then holds up a second product with a July 2024 sticker on it, saying, "so they're no longer expired, and we can sell them."

Salvinski, who has since posted two more videos on his account, said he's the owner of two dogs and will not give Platinum Pet Treats' products to them.

"They say they're fine, but there's a reason why there are dates on products," Salvinski said. "If you want to purchase the products, feel free. If you don't, I'm fine with that also. I'm just doing this for your information, and you can make up your own decision on what you would like to do."

In a second video, also uploaded Wednesday, Salvinski said he was "forced" to go through 30-packs of beef sausage that were being sent out to customers and look for bugs. He then held up a bag splattered with brown-colored dots that he claims are feces from bugs that have gotten into the sausage packs. He claimed he was instructed to transfer the sausages to 10-pack packages after removing any bugs.

Since the videos were released, social media users have flocked to various sites to give the company negative reviews, along with critical comments. Platinum Pet Treats currently has a 1.1-star rating on Google.

Products from Platinum Pet Treats were sold at Walmart, Amazon and Chewy.com, though Chewy appeared to have removed the company's products as of Thursday. An Etsy store for the company was not taking orders on Thursday, with a notice that its owners were "taking a short break." Calls to two phone numbers listed for the Northbrook store on Thursday went to voicemail.

In a news release, Platinum Pet Treats said its products are sourced in Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Romania. The company also states the products, which are "100 percent natural and single ingredient," are being manufactured at factories located in Madrid, Spain, and Baia Mare, Romania.