Hill’s quietly adds to pet food recall list

Nearly two months after its last update, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has added another lot code to the list of products recalled due to elevated levels of vitamin D.

The company has expanded its recall of Hill’s® Prescription Diet® i/d® Canine Chicken & Vegetable Stew 12.5oz (SKU 3389) to include Batch code 102020T21.

The item was sold in the USA and Canada.

The series of recalls was triggered by reports of pet deaths and pet illnesses due to toxic levels of vitamin D in the pet foods. The first recall was announced on January 31, 2019. An expansion of the recall was announced on March 20, 2019.

The recalled products were distributed around the world. A breakdown of recalled products by country was posted on eFoodAlert on March 21st, and has since been updated.

The Hill’s recalls have triggered more than 20 class action lawsuits across the USA. A motion for a multidistrict litigation has been submitted, which would transfer all the actions related to the Hill’s recall to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The hearing date for the motion is set for May 30, 2019.

According to information obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the source of the excessive vitamin D was an error in the formulation of the vitamin pre-mix by a Hill’s supplier.

The identity of the pre-mix supplier has not been revealed.