FDA finds Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes in ANSWERS raw dog foods. Issues Advisory

September 23, 2024

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued an Advisory to pet owners, recommending that they not feed certain ANSWERS raw dog foods to their pets.

The FDA collected and analyzed unopened retail samples of these products following receipt of three consumer complaints about sick dogs.

Two of the following products were found to be contaminated with Salmonella, one with Listeria monocytogenes, and one with both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. All four products were packaged in 4-lb. (half-gallon) cartons.

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

ANSWERS raw pet foods are manufactured by Lystn LLC. The products are sold on-line and in retail stores across the United States.

Company voluntarily withdraws products

Lystn, LLC, dba ANSWERS Pet Food announced a voluntary withdrawal of the four contaminated product batches, but stopped short of initiating a full recall. In announcing the product withdrawal, the company took pains to state that, “No illnesses associated with these lots have been confirmed.“

The FDA has not revealed whether one or more of the BUBD dates of the products in which it found Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes corresponds to products consumed by the sick dogs. (Note: ANSWERS does not use lot codes. Instead, a “Best If Used By” date (BUBD) is stamped on each package.)

Why did the FDA issue an Advisory?

As is usual in this type of situation, the FDA requests/recommends that a manufacturer initiate a voluntary product recall. This action triggers a standard oversight and follow-up by the agency to ensure that all of the contaminated product has been removed from the marketplace. The FDA also oversees the safe disposal of recalled product that has been recovered by the manufacturer.

In this instance, the company has declined to initiate a formal recall.

Due to concerns that a product withdrawal might not be adequate to ensure the safety of pets and their human companions, the FDA has reached out directly to consumers, explaining that, “To date, the firm has not initiated an adequate recall of the affected products.“

What the FDA wants consumers to know

If you have any of the Answers Pet Food products listed above, stop feeding it to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it. Do not donate the food.

The Best Used By Date can be found on a sticker on the carton. If you no longer have the packaging or can’t read the Best Used By Date, throw the food away.

Consumers who have had these products in their homes should clean and disinfect all pet supplies, including all storage containers, bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, litter boxes, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with, including your refrigerator or freezer. Clean up the pet’s feces in places where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces.

How to report a pet illness to the FDA

People who think their pets have become ill after consuming contaminated pet food should first contact their veterinarians. Veterinarians who wish to have pets tested for Salmonella and L. mono may do so through the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN Network) if the pet is from a household with a person infected with Salmonella or L. mono.

The FDA encourages consumers to report complaints about pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal. Additionally, consumers can visit the SmartHub – Safety Intake Portal – Report a Product Problem (fda.gov) to obtain electronic assistance with submitting a report.

“A complete and compelling account of the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the food we give our beloved pets can be contaminated.” – JoNel Aleccia, Health Reporter, Food & Nutrition, The Associated Press.

“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

FDA advises pet owners against feeding certain Darwin’s Natural Selections pet foods

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising pet owners not to feed certain Darwin’s Natural Selections chicken-based raw pet foods to their dogs and cats.

The warning came after the FDA found Salmonella in three lots of the company’s dog food and three lots of cat food.

One of the lots also was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The FDA’s advisory specifies the following products, all of which are sold in frozen 2-pound packages:

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

The FDA has recommended that the manufacturer, Arrow Reliance, Inc. (Tukwila, WA) recall the six contaminated production lots. The company has not yet done so.

Arrow Reliance, Inc., has a long history of disagreements with the FDA regarding the significance of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in raw pet food. In February 2023, the company received a formal Warning Letter from the FDA, citing several unresolved issues following an inspection of the manufacturing facility.

What should consumers do?

If you have any of the Darwin’s Natural Selections pet food product listed above, stop feeding the product to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it. Do not donate the food.

The product lot codes are printed on the front of the lower left unit of the package of food. If you no longer have the package or can’t read the lot code, throw the food away.

Consumers who have had the products listed above in their homes should clean and disinfect all pet supplies, including all storage containers, bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, litter boxes, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with, including your refrigerator or freezer. Clean up the pet’s feces in places where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces.

What’s the big deal?

Pet foods contaminated with Salmonella and L. monocytogenes are of particular public health importance because they can affect both human and animal health. 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 is aware of cases in which humans and/or animals have gotten sick from exposure to Salmonella-contaminated pet foods. Although FDA is not aware of a documented case of a person acquiring L. monocytogenes infection from a pet food, once Salmonella or L. monocytogenes get established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria in the feces when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination may continue to spread. It is important to clean up the animal’s feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed, in addition to cleaning items in the home.

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. Refrigeration or freezing does not kill Salmonella or L. monocytogenes.

How to report a pet illness

People who think their pets have become ill after consuming contaminated pet food should first contact their veterinarians. Veterinarians who wish to have pets tested for Salmonella and L. monocytogenes may do so through the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN Network) if the pet is from a household with a person infected with Salmonella or L. mono.

“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

USDA-inspected facility fails two FDA pet food inspections

Lewis Sausage Co., Inc. (Lewis), a meat and poultry processor that also manufactures raw pet food under contract, failed two FDA inspections during an eleven-month period.

The company manufactures a range of raw dog food and raw cat food products on behalf of Viva Raw, LLC.

Viva Raw does not carry out any manufacturing at its location of record. The company’s address of record, as listed by the North Carolina Secretary of State, belongs to a single-family home in a residential area of Durham, North Carolina.

At the completion of a June 2023 inspection of Lewis’ operations, FDA investigators reported that the company “…did not take adequate measures to significantly minimize or prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms in [its] animal food,” according to information contained in the FDA Form 483 Inspectional Observations obtained in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Lewis was reinspected in May 2024. In the FDA Form 483 issued upon completion of inspection, investigators highlighted several areas of concern, including:

validation studies did not confirm that the process used to reduce or control pathogens was sufficiently effective to eliminate Salmonella, E. coli, or Listeria monocytogenes from the finished products
monitoring for pathogens during production was not carried out according to the written monitoring procedure
environmental monitoring was not carried out with adequate frequency, given the size, scope, and production volume
finished product sampling program for Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes was inadequate
hazard analysis document did not include nutrient toxicity or nutrient deficiency as hazards likely to occur, even though some of the finished products carry the statement, “Complete and Balanced” on the product label.

The fall-out

On December 26, 2023, the FDA received a consumer complaint alerting the agency to the death of a dog that had been fed Viva For Dogs brand Chunked Duck (Product code 17BVD02).

The affected dog vomited the entire day, experienced seizure-like activity and was taken to a veterinary emergency facility. The dog was found to have severe thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts) and did not survive.

A second dog in the same household, ate a much smaller quantity of the product, vomited just once, and recovered.

The FDA received a second consumer complaint on January 31, 2024. The consumer reported that their cats had developed gastrointestinal illness (vomiting) after being fed Viva Raw brand Pure Rabbit Raw Cat Food. The cats recovered when their diet was switched to a Viva Raw chicken product.

The FDA took no immediate action on this complaint, indicating that it would be raised at the next establishment inspection.

On January 23, 2024, after receiving notification the FDA had found both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of the product, the company initiated a recall of four products that contained the duck meat used the implicated production lot of the Chunked Duck.

The recall, which was communicated to consignees by email rather than via a public recall notice, including the following four products bearing lot number 22853:

VIVA for dogs Chunked duck
VIVA for cats duck
VIVA for dogs GROUND duck
VIVA PURE duck PETFOODMIXER

During the May 2024 inspection at Lewis Sausage, the FDA collected finished product for testing, and found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample.

On June 12, 2024, Lewis Sausage initiated a recall of five products carrying the same lot code (Lot #21244) in which the FDA had found the pathogen.

On July 1, 2024, Viva Raw issued a press release announcing a recall of the five products, which included:

VIVA for cats turkey (1 lb (454g); Lot #21244)
VIVA for dogs CHUNKED turkey (1 lb (454g); Lot #21244)
VIVA for dogs GROUND turkey (1 lb (454g); Lot #21244)
VIVA for puppies beef & turkey GROUND (1 lb (454g); Lot #21244)
VIVA PURE turkey for cats & dogs (1 lb (454g); Lot #21244)

The take-aways

A pet food company’s claim that its products have been manufactured using “human-grade” ingredients or in a USDA-inspected facility is no guarantee that the products are safe.
Viva Raw LLC is just one of many smaller pet food suppliers that do not manufacture their own products. They rely on third-party manufacturers to produce their formulas.
Not all product recalls are announced via a news release on the FDA’s website. Many recalls—whether of pet foods or people foods—are only made public through the FDA’s Enforcement Reports.

Reporting a pet food problem

The FDA relies heavily on reports from pet owners and veterinarians to alert them to safety issues with pet foods. Especially useful are reports that include veterinary information and details on the suspect food (brand, variety, batch codes, et cetera).

The following links will help you to make your report to the FDA. Just click anywhere on the blue to be taken directly to the appropriate FDA web page.

How to Report a Pet Food Complaint. Read this web page before beginning to file your complaint. It provides a list of the information you should try to have at hand before you begin to file. If you are missing some information, do not despair. Even partial information will be helpful.

Consumer Complaint Coordinators. This FDA page supplies the telephone number for the agency’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator in each state. Use this approach if you wish to make your complaint by telephone. If you do not reach a live voice, please leave a detailed message so that the coordinator can return your call.

Safety Reporting Portal. Use this FDA page if you prefer to file your report on-line with the agency. Begin by clicking on the button “Report as Guest” and continue by answering each question as it is presented to you.