K9 Natural recalls frozen raw dog food due to Listeria monocytogenes

K9 Natural Ltd. (K9) has recalled four batches of its Frozen Chicken Feast Raw Pet Food that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The recalled products were imported into the USA from New Zealand in June 2017, and were identified as follows:

K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 2.2-lb bags. Batch #170517; Expiration date 17NOV2018
K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #150517; Expiration date 15NOV2018
K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #160517; Expiration date 16NOV2018
K9 Natural Frozen Chicken Feast, 11-lb bags. Batch #170517; Expiration date 17NOV2018

The 2.2-lb bags were shipped to distributors in Washington, California, Texas, and Colorado, and were distributed to pet specialty retail stores. The 11-lb bags were shipped to Pennsylvania in addition to the other four states and also were distributed to pet specialty retail stores.

According to a spokesperson for K9, the recall was initiated after the company was notified by the Colorado Department of Agriculture of a positive test result in a 2.2-lb bag obtained from a retailer.

Colorado is one of several states that samples pet foods and pet treats for pathogens on a regular basis, as part of its annual animal feed surveillance sampling plan, Food Safety News has learned.

While Colorado’s testing is not conducted in concert with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state shares its results with the federal agency, according to a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

K9 tests every batch of frozen raw product destined for the US market for Listeria monocytogenes, according to its spokesperson, and does not ship the product until it has received a ‘not-detect’ report. The testing is carried out for the company by an accredited independent laboratory.

The company also tests key raw materials for pathogens prior to purchase.

Upon learning of the Colorado test result, the company reviewed its records and also arranged for testing of a retained sample from the suspect production batch. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in the retention sample.

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen that can cause illness both in pets and in humans. According to FDA, gastroenteritis caused by Listeria monocytogenes has a relatively short incubation period, from a few hours to 2 or 3 days. The severe, invasive form of the illness can have a very long incubation period, estimated to vary from 3 days to 3 months.

Although not all pets display symptoms when infected, those who do may have symptoms within a matter of a few hours, but possibly weeks after infection. Pets do not need to display symptoms to be able to pass Listeria monocytogenes onto their human companions. Once Listeria monocytogenes gets established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination will continue to spread.

In response to a request for comment, the K9 spokesperson said, “At K9 Natural the safety of our products, pets, and customers is paramount, and we have several steps throughout our manufacturing process to ensure product quality and cleanliness right from the farm to the retail store.”

To date, K9 is unaware of any pet or human illnesses associated with the recalled products.

The FDA encourages consumers to report complaints about pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators.

This story first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

FDA gives Darwin’s pet food owners 15 days to clear up issues

Adulterated pet food, dead kitten, use of unapproved additive spur FDA warning letter

The FDA issued a formal warning letter to Arrow Reliance Inc. doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, citing pathogen problems at a production plant and saying scientific evidence shows the company’s cleaning solution is ineffective.

Darwin’s is a manufacturer of raw pet foods and is based in Tukwila, WA.

The April 2 warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration cites a history of consumer complaints and product recalls leading to the agency’s analysis of several Darwin’s products. Laboratory tests detected Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O128 in one or more samples of the pet foods.

Foods under FDA jurisdiction, including pet foods, are deemed to be adulterated if they bear or contain a poisonous or deleterious substance that may render them injurious to health, according to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act). Introduction of an adulterated food into interstate commerce is a prosecutable violation of the Act.

Federal officials also found two Darwin’s products were also contaminated with Listeria innocua. Although it is not considered a pathogen in terms of human health, the warning letter underscored that the presence of Listeria innocua is an indicator that Listeria monocytogenes would be capable of surviving and growing in the product.

One of the consumer complaints that triggered the FDA investigation was lodged by the owner of a kitten that died as a result of a “severe systemic Salmonella infection” after being fed Darwin’s Natural Selections Duck Meals for Cats.

Salmonella was isolated from the dead kitten’s liver and from an unopened raw pet food package. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis, often referred to as genetic fingerprinting, confirmed that the Salmonella recovered from the dead kitten and from the pet food sample were identical.

FDA also performed WGS analysis on Salmonella recovered from various other Darwin’s samples. The identical Salmonella strain was found in two different products manufactured two weeks apart and containing two different meat sources.

The presence of the identical Salmonella in these two products, according to the warning letter, suggests pathogen contamination in Darwin’s manufacturing facility.

In the letter, FDA also expressed its concern regarding Darwin’s use of a bacteriophage product to control pathogens in the raw pet foods, citing a lack of scientifically based validation of the controls and a change in the company’s protocol for applying the bacteriophage to the products.

The agency noted that the bacteriophage product is not “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) nor is it the subject of a regulation describing additives permitted in animal foods.

The company was given 15 business days to reply to the warning letter, with a description of the steps taken to correct the violations and prevent these or similar violations from occurring in the future.

This story first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

Recalls and Alerts: March 25 – 28, 2018

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

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United States

Allergy Alert: First Source recalls Wegmans Yogurt Raisins (9-oz pkg; Best before 01/05/19; UPC 0 77890 31832 4) due to undeclared peanuts. The recalled product was sold in Wegmans Stores in MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, and VA.

Allergy Alert: eBars LLC recalls various products due to undeclared peanuts and/or almonds. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed through Whole Foods in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and through Kroger in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, and Georgia, and were also distributed nationwide through ebars.com website.

Allergy Alert: Nine Whole Foods Market stores in Northern California recall some decorated (iced) cookies from the self-service cookie displays due to undeclared egg. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of affected products and stores.

Allergy Alert: Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen Inc. recalls various salad products due to undeclared seafood. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Kwik Trip, Inc. recalls Kitchen’s Cravings Premium Egg Salad Sandwich on Oat Multigrain Bread (Sell by dates of 3/25/18, 3/26/18, 3/27/18, 3/28/18, and 3/29/18; UPC 3977900079) due to undeclared fish or seafood. The recalled product was sold in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Food Safety Recall: Tony Downs Food Company, Inc. recalls approximately 96,384 pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials (hard plastic). Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed to retail stores nationwide.

Food Safety Recall: Tamarack Inc. recalls Eclipse Kratom-containing powder products due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Food Safety Recall: Zappia Foods recalls various Zappia Marinara products because the products were manufactured without the benefit of inspection. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Blue Ridge Beef recalls BRB Complete Raw Pet Food (2-lb frozen chubs; Lot #GA0131) due to possible contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled product was distributed in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Pet Food Safety Recall: Darwin’s Natural Pet Products recalls four production lots of its raw meals for dogs due to potential contamination with Salmonella and E. coli O128. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Canada

Outbreak Alert/Food Safety Recall: Erie Meat Products Ltd. recalls Druxy’s Fresh Deli Revolution brand Seasoned Cooked Roast Beef (variable weights; Best before 2018AL09) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a list of Druxy’s locations where the product was sold. CFIA advises the public that there have been reported illnesses that may be associated with the consumption of this product. Further lab testing is underway to confirm the link.

Outbreak Alert/Food Safety Recall: Erie Meat Products Ltd. recalls Harvest Creek brand Chicken Nuggets – Uncooked Breaded Cutlettes (2 x 1kg; Best before 18-OC-11; UPC 8 29810 93350 2) due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Quebec, and may have been distributed in other provinces or territories. The recall was triggered by findings by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) during its investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak. Information on the illness outbreak is available from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Allergy Alert: Supermarché Samson P.A. (Laval, QC) recalls various ready-to-eat dishes due to undeclared sesame seeds, gluten, wheat, milk, soy, fish and eggs. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: Phoenicia Group Inc. recalls Durra brand Mansaf Seasoning (70g; Lot 03; Best by 09/04/2019; UPC 6 251136 007096) due to undeclared sesame and gluten. The recalled product was distributed to retailers in Ontario and Quebec.

Allergy Alert: Metro Ontario Inc. recalls Irresistibles brand Swedish Style Meatballs, fully cooked (680g; all lots; UPC 0 59749 88417 4) due to undeclared gluten. The recalled product was sold in Ontario.

Allergy Alert: Industry recalls Dhawaka brand Choco Kids Chocolat en poudre (180g; Lot #107; Best before 07/2018; UPC 6 194023 504707) due to undeclared gluten. The recalled product was sold in Quebec.

Food Safety Recall: Restaurant le Palais Eagle (Montreal, QC) recalls Pain de poisson (all lots sold up to and including 23 March 2018) due to incorrect labeling (lack of instruction to keep product refrigerated).

Food Safety Recall: Marché Solaire (Montreal, QC) recalls Pain de poisson (all lots sold up to and including 23 March 2018) due to inadequate packaging and labeling (lack of instruction to keep product refrigerated).

Europe

Allergy Alert (Denmark): LikeMeat Nordic recalls Organic Veggie Chicken Style Chunks (180g; Best before 12/12/2018) due to undeclared soy.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Lidl Ireland recalls Deluxe Wild Salmon with Dill Sauce and Deluxe Wild Salmon with Spinach (700g; All batches lacking English labeling) because the products contain allergens (gluten (Wheat), Egg, Fish, Milk, and Mustard) that are not indicated in English on the labels

Allergy Alert (UK): Interlink Direct Ltd recalls CEBU Dried Mangoes (100g; Best before 9 August 2019) due to undeclared sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites.

Allergy Alert (UK): Co-op recalls Co-op Breaded Cod Fillets (270g; Use by 02 April 2018) due to undeclared mustard and milk.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Valsemøllen A/S recalls organic rough rye flour (1kg; Best before 29/01/2019/12 and 12/02/2019/08) due to ochratoxin levels above acceptable limits.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Eksotiske delikatesser A/S recalls Aioli (160g; Best before 19/04/2018) due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Finland): Escamar Seafood Oy recalls Apetit Kirjolohisuikaleet (300g; Use by 28.3., 29.3. and 30.3.2018) due to glass breakage.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Ittica Luciana S.r.l. recalls Clams (Tapes semidecussatus) (1 kg; Lot L570; Produced 18-3-2018 and 19-3-2018) due to presence of E. coli in excess of permitted levels.

Food Safety Recall (UK): AKM Foods Limited recalls Zaiqa GoGo Pan Masala Mouth Freshener products because they contain Rhodamine B. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Woolworths recalls WOOLWORTHS Macro Chinese Honey Soy Flavoured Tofu (200g; Use By 12 JUN 2018) due to undeclared peanuts.

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Go Farming Ltd recalls Go 2 Raw Milk brand raw (unpasteurized) drinking milk (1-L glass bottle; Batch Numbers 104, 105, 106, 107, 108 and 108b; Use by 19/3/18 to 28/3/18 inclusive) due to potential Campylobacter contamination.