FAQs: Pet Food Recalls
This section of frequently asked questions addresses recent pet food recalls and recalled dog foods and cat foods, as well as issues to consider in terms of pet health and nutrition. We hope the insightful answers will help you learn more about pet health issues in general and the health advantages of choosing
Flint River Ranch premium health foods for your pets.
If you have any questions that aren't listed below, please don't hesitate to
send them to us. We welcome your feedback and would love to help with any pet-related questions you may have.
2013 Pet Food Recall News and Updates
While we haven't had a pet food recall news update in a little while, there's been no shortage of recalls recently.
The most recent pet food recall in 2013 comes from Procter & Gamble's Natura Pet Brands, manufacturers of Innova, EVO, California Natural and HealthWise dog foods and cat foods. Natura issued the recall on March 18th, 2013 after an inspection by the U.S. FDA confirmed the presence of Salmonella in a test of the company's products.
The Natura Pet food recall is unrelated to several earlier pet food recalls in 2013, including recalls from Diamond Pet Foods, Nature's Variety, Bravo! Pet Foods and Hy-Vee, among various other pet food manufacturers.
For additional information on the Natura Pet Brands recall and other recent pet food recalls, please consult our full 2013 Pet Food Recall News and Updates page.
Diamond Pet Foods -- manufacturers of Diamond Naturals and Diamond Dog Foods and Cat Foods, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Premium Edge, Taste of the Wild and other brands -- made an initial recall on April 6th, 2012 due to potential
Salmonella contamination, followed by nine separate expansions of the original recall.
To date, at least sixteen humans and innumerable dogs and cats have become sick or have died in 2012 (no human deaths reported) after eating and/or handling Diamond Pet Foods products or foods produced at Diamond plants, including at least
one infant.
On May 29th, 2012 the U.S. FDA reported that samples from two Diamond Pet Foods plants reported positive for
Salmonella contamination, with
Salmonella Liverpool identified at the plant in Meta, Missouri, and
Salmonella Infantis in Gaston, South Carolina. The recalled dog food products were sold or distributed in over thirty states and two countries, including Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Canada and Puerto Rico.
For additional information on the Diamond dog food recall and Salmonella contamination in pet foods, please consult our full
2012 Diamond Dog Food Recall page.
Iams and Eukanuba Dog Foods and Cat Foods Recalled in 2010 Due to Salmonella
In July 2010 Procter & Gamble (P&G) initiated a
recall for Iams Cat Food due to potential Salmonella contamination and then expanded the pet food recall a week later to also include select Eukanuba Dog Food formulas and additional Iams Veterinary Formula cat and dog foods.
The Iams and Eukunba pet foods involved in the recall ware pulled from shelves due to positive identification of salmonella by the U.S. FDA. Salmonella bacteria can cause diarrhea (possibly bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps, with most victims recovering within a week without treatment. Babies, elders, and those with weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
The recalled Iams Veterinary Dog Food and Cat Food formulas and Eukanuba dog foods included all sizes and varieties of Eukanuba Naturally Wild, Eukanuba Pure, and Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin dry dog food formulas with "Best By" dates that fall in the July 1st, 2010 to December 1st, 2011 range.
The recall followed an earlier recall in June
that resulted from potentially insufficient levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1) in the Iams ProActive Health canned cat and kitten food formula.
For additional information on the Iams recall and Eukanuba recall, please consult our full
Iams and Eukanuba Pet Food Recall page.
In March 2007 a voluntary recall was issued for more than 60 million containers of wet dog food and moist cat food made by
Menu Foods and sold under top pet food brands such as Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, and Nutro after at least ten pets died and many more suffered kidney failure.
Testing of the recalled pet foods by the U.S. FDA revealed the presence of both
aminopterin, a rat poison, and
melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and also used as a fertilizer, in samples of the Menu Foods pet foods and in the wheat gluten imported from China and used an ingredient for the pet foods. Additional testing revealed melamine contamination in the rice protein concentrate ingredient of pet foods manufactured by Wilbur-Ellis Co. and American Nutrition.
The pet food recall includes more than 100 brands of dog foods and cat foods for the "Cuts and Gravy" style wet pet foods made by Menu Foods as well as a variety of pet foods made by Wilbur-Ellis Co. and American Nutrition. Popular pet food brands from
Iams,
Eukanuba,
Hill's Science Diet,
Purina,
Natural Balance, and
Nutro are included in the recall, and major retailers involved include
Costco (
Kirkland Signature),
Wal-Mart (
Ol' Roy),
Target,
PetSmart,
Kroger,
Food Lion,
Price Chopper,
Publix, and
Safeway. Menu Foods is also a contract manufacturer for many of the top pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle
Purina PetCare, and
Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.
For additional information on the Menu Foods petfood recall, please consult our full
Menu Foods Pet Food Recall FAQ,
Recall News Updates, and
Specific Pet Food Brands Recalled pages.
The 2007 Salmonella outbreak that affected more than 70 people in 19 states has been linked to dry dog food produced in a Mars Petcare pet food plant in Pennsylvania. This marks the first time a human illness has been linked to dry dog food.
Mars Petcare issued a
recall for specific batches of dog food following an inspection of a manufacturing plant revealed two isolates of Salmonella contamination in two brands of dry dog food.
Mars Petcare US, Inc. manufactures a variety of well-known pet food brands, including
Pedigree dog foods, the
Goodlife Recipe cat and dog foods,
Whiskas cat food,
Cesar Canine Cuisine wet dog food, and
Sheba wet cat food.
A pet food recall for the Dingo brand of dog, cat, and ferret treats has been issued as of March 31, 2007, for the United States and Canada due to concerns over salmonella contamination. Cincinatti-based Eight in One Inc., a division of United Pet Group Inc., manufactures the Dingo brand of pet treats and reports that the salmonella bacteria could infect both animals and people handling the treats.
The recall is not related to the Menu Foods pet food recall and specifically applies only to the Dingo Chick'n Jerky for Dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky treats.
Natural Balance Pet Foods Recall - April 2007
Dick Van Patten's
Natural Balance Pet Foods issued a recall for its
Venison and Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and
Venison and Green Pea Dry Cat Food formulas on April 16, 2007 after receiving reports of animals vomiting and experiencing kidney problems. It's not known at this time whether this recall is related to the melamine problem in the
Menu Pet Foods Recall.
A pet food recall for the Dingo brand of dog, cat, and ferret treats has been issued as of March 31, 2007, for the United States and Canada due to concerns over salmonella contamination. Cincinatti-based Eight in One Inc., a division of United Pet Group Inc., manufactures the Dingo brand of pet treats and reports that the salmonella bacteria could infect both animals and people handling the treats.
The recall is not related to the Menu Foods pet food recall and specifically applies only to the Dingo Chick'n Jerky for Dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky treats.
Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Dry Dog Food Recall Warning - March 2007
The United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) issued a warning letter to the Iams Company in March 2007 regarding several of its Eukanuba Veterinary Diets canned and dry dog food formulas. Four of the Eukanuba Vet Diets cat and dog foods for weight management contain a substance, chromium tripicolinate, that is not an approved food supplement.
The U.S. FDA considers chromium tripicolinate to be genotoxic, which means it can potentially damage DNA and cause mutations and tumors. These foods are not under recall, but a warning has been issued to the Iams Company and Eukanuba by the FDA
The 2006 Diamond Dog Food recall and its impact on pet health and nutrition
A consumer alert was released in April 2006 for contaminated
Diamond Pet Foods for dogs and cats. At least a dozen canine deaths have already been linked to Diamond pet foods contaminated by the potentially deadly toxin Aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical byproduct that results from the growth of the fungus
Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. The fungus typically develops on crops during severe high temperature stress and drought conditions followed by high levels of humidity.
Dogs could experience liver trouble, liver failure and even death due to the contaminated food. While there have not been any reports of cat health issues or fatalities due to the recall, five Diamond cat food formulas have been recalled due to the presence of aflatoxin.
If your dog or cat is eating a bad batch of Diamond, Country Value or Professional brand pet food, stop using that food and take your animal to a vet immediately.
For additional information on the Diamond dog food recall, aflatoxin, and how the recall impacts pet health and nutrition, please consult our full
Diamond Dog Food Recall page.
Simmons Pet Food issued a recall in 2006 for fifteen varieties of its canned dog food product line due to the linings separating from the inside of the cans. Products affected by the Simmons dog food recall included all 22-ounce canned pet food with "use by" dates between March 16, 2008, and June 6, 2008. The Simmons dog foods are distributed through major retail store chains, including Wal-Mart (Ol' Roy), Kmart, and Allied Foods.
Wegmans Super Premium Dog Foods Recall - 2006
Wegmans Food Markets issued a voluntary recall in 2006 for the Lamb and Rice flavor of its Super Premium Adult Dog Food due to a batch containing potentially toxic mold. Wegmans Food Markets is a chain of grocery stores that serves the northeast United States market, with more than 70 stores in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware areas. The company carries a variety of dog food formulas in its Bruiser and Super Premium Dog Food lines.
The Super Premium Dog Food product line was also temporarily discontinued in 2003 when Mad Cow Disease in Canada affected distribution, but the products returned to store shelves once the USDA eased its ban on meat imports from Canada and after Wegmans added additional pet food production facilities in the U.S.
A+ FRR Note:
No Recalls for Flint River Ranch -
Flint River Ranch has no involvement with the companies listed above, and none of Flint River Ranch's all natural, healthy dog food formulas or cat food formulas are involved in these pet food recalls.
If you're looking for additional information on
Flint River Ranch pet foods and products, we'd like to recommend:
Flint River Ranch Top 10 - The Top 10 reasons you should make the switch to Flint River Ranch Premium Pet Foods
Feed The Best for Less - Why Flint River Ranch is cheaper to use than competing pet foods
Pet Food Brand Comparison - Learn how Flint River Ranch foods stack up against competing pet food brands
Shop A+ Flint River Ranch - Purchase Flint River Ranch premium pet foods, treats, and products online at the best prices
Better Ingredients. Better Pet Food. Flint River Ranch.
