The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising pet owners to exercise caution and carefully consider what they are feeding their furry friends after various products have tested positive for Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono).
Both Salmonella and L. mono can cause illness and even death in both humans and animals alike, as detailed by the FDA.
“Pets can get sick from Salmonella and may also be carriers of the bacteria and pass it on to their human companions without appearing to be ill,” the FDA said in a Sept. 20 statement. “The FDA is aware of cases in which humans and/or animals have gotten sick from exposure to Salmonella-contaminated pet foods.”
“The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled,” added the FDA. “Refrigeration or freezing does not kill Salmonella or L. mono.”
Darwin’s Natural Selections products
A Sept. 20 release by the FDA announced that samples of five Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw cat and dog food made by Arrow Reliance, Inc. tested positive for Salmonella, while a sixth sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono).
The products believed to be affected are sold in frozen two-pound packages and include particular lots of Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats and Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs, as reported by the FDA.
These pet foods are generally sold online through a subscription service, according to the FDA.
While the FDA has suggested Arrow Reliance, Inc. recall all six lots of the Darwin’s Natural Selections pet foods, the company has not done so, as of Sept. 20.
The FDA has provided the following lot codes believed to have been affected:
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats – Lot No: 10832 MFG. Date: Jul 25, 2024
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats – Lot No: 10856 MFG. Date: Aug 04, 2024
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats – Lot No: 10890 MFG. Date: Aug 13, 2024
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs – Lot No: 10828 MFG. Date: Jul 24, 2024
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs – Lot No: 10844 MFG. Date: Jul 30, 2024
- Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs – Lot No: 10887 MFG. Date: Aug 12, 2024
These lots can be found in two-pound white and clear plastic packages with four separate units, as reported by the FDA. Lot codes can reportedly be found on the front of the lower left unit of the package.
Consumers in possession of any affected products are advised to dispose of the food in a secure container. The FDA also suggests that consumers disinfect all surfaces that the food or pet made contact with.
According to MassLive, silive.com’s sister site, CEO and Founder of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Gary Tashjian said the company is “confident” its meals are safe and stated the following:
“We’ve also shared with our customers, we commissioned independent, third-party testing using conventional methods, which found that all lots tested negative for listeria.”
“The testing found small trace amounts of salmonella, which is inherent to poultry,” he added.
“The products were flagged under the FDA’s zero-tolerance policy, which is largely designed for human safety, not pets. In fact, under the FDA protocol, the products tested positive for pathogens only following an incubation period.”
Answers Pet Food products
On Sept. 23, the FDA put out another release warning that samples of two Answers Pet Food products made by Lystn LLC tested positive for Salmonella, while a third tested positive for L. mono, with a fourth testing positive for both.
The FDA reportedly tested unopened samples of the product after receiving three complaints of illness in dogs who ate the food.
These affected products are sold frozen in four-pound (half-gallon) cartons and contain certain batches of Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Detailed Formula for Dogs, Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Straight Formula for Dogs, and Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs.
The FDA says the food is sold in retail stores nationwide and online.
As of Sept. 23, Answers Pet Food has reportedly not issued an adequate recall of these products, as noted by the FDA.
Answers Pet Food does not use lot codes, however, the products can be identified using the “Best Used By Date” (BUBD) sticker on the packaging.
The affected products include the following:
- Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Detailed Formula for Dogs – UPC/bar code number: 856554002102 – BUBD: May 06 2026
- Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Straight Formula for Dogs – UPC/bar code number: 856554002072 – BUBD: Jan 31 2026
- Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs – UPC/bar code number: 856554002065 – BUBD: Jan 02 2026
- Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs – UPC/bar code number: 856554002065 – BUBD: Mar 11 2026
Consumers in possession of this product are advised to dispose of it in a secure container and disinfect all surfaces that came in contact with the food or pet.
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