Confidential Treatment Requested by PET Acquisition LLC
Pursuant to 17 C.F.R. Section 200.83
wages and enhance benefits for such personnel, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, any interruption or malfunction in our distribution operations, including, but not limited to, the loss of a key vendor that provides transportation of merchandise to or from our distribution centers, or regulatory issues with respect to any of our distribution centers, could adversely affect our sales and results of operations. An interruption in our inventory supply chain could result in out-of-stock or excess merchandise inventory levels or adversely affect our ability to make timely deliveries to e-commerce customers, and could adversely affect our sales and results of operations.
Our operations are subject to extensive governmental regulation, and we may incur material liabilities under, or costs in order to comply with, existing or future laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in enforcements, recalls, and other adverse actions that could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our financial results.
Our operations, including some of our vendors, are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), the Drug Enforcement Administration (the “DEA”), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), the National Labor Relations Board, and by various other federal, state, local, and foreign authorities. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, our relationships with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, terms and conditions of employment, working conditions, and citizenship requirements; the weights and measures of our products; the manufacturing and distribution of foods, drugs, and controlled substances intended for animal use; our businesses that provide veterinary services and pet insurance plans; the transportation, handling, and sale of small pets; emissions to air and water and the generation, handling, storage, discharge, transportation, disposal, and remediation of waste and hazardous materials; the processing, storage, distribution, safety, advertising, labeling, promotion, and import or export of our products; providing services to our customers; contracted services with various third-party providers; credit and debit card processing; the handling, security, protection, and use of customer and associate information; and the licensing and certification of services. In addition, we are subject to a wide range of state and local regulations relating to COVID-19, which are frequently changing. Read “Business—Government Regulation.”
Violations of or liability under applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative, civil or criminal fines, penalties or sanctions against us, revocation or modification of applicable permits, licenses, or authorizations, environmental, health and safety investigations or remedial activities, voluntary or involuntary product recalls, warning or untitled letters or cease and desist orders against operations that are not in compliance, or third-party liability claims against us, among other things. Such laws and regulations generally have become more stringent over time and may become more so in the future, and we may incur (directly, or indirectly through our outsourced private brand manufacturing partners) material costs to comply with current or future laws and regulations or in any required product recalls. Some of these laws and regulations are subject to varying and uncertain interpretations, application, and enforcement by courts and regulatory authorities with broad discretion, which can mean that our efforts to maintain compliance in all jurisdictions are not always successful. Liabilities under, costs of compliance with, and the impacts on us of any alleged or determined non-compliance with any such laws and regulations could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, changes in the laws and regulations to which we are subject could impose significant limitations and require changes to our business, which may increase our compliance expenses, make our business costlier and less efficient to conduct, and compromise our growth strategy. Although we routinely obtain broad indemnities from our vendors in respect of their products, we could be adversely affected if we were found not to be in compliance with applicable regulations and we were not made whole by our vendors.
Among other regulatory requirements, the FDA regulates the inclusion of specific claims in pet food labeling. For example, pet food products that are labeled or marketed with claims that may
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