Eight recalls in eight years. Two failed inspections—one in 2019, the other in 2021. One Warning Letter, Dated June 26, 2020.

Something is very wrong at Lea-Way Farms, Inc. (dba Blue Ridge Beef).

Yesterday (January 31, 2025), Blue Ridge Beef recalled 5,700 lbs of its Natural Mix for Dogs (2-lb logs; Lot #N25/12/31; UPC 854298001054) after the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Food and Drug Protection Laboratory found Salmonella in a sample of the product.

The recalled raw dog food was distributed between January 3/2025 to January 24/2025 and sold primarily in retail stores in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York State, Tennessee, and Rhode Island.

Although no illnesses were reported in connection with this recall, the same cannot be said for two prior recalls.

• On December 6, 2024, the FDA received a complaint about two cats that had developed gastrointestinal symptoms after being fed Blue Ridge Beef – Kitten Mix (two different lot numbers). The cats survived. The company recalled a single production lot of the Kitten Mix after the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources reported the presence of Salmonella in a sample of the food.
• On November 24, 2024, the FDA received a complaint about a litter of puppies that had fallen ill after being fed Blue Ridge Beef Puppy Mix. Fecal samples from the puppies tested positive for Salmonella. The puppies appeared to have recovered after two weeks of treatment with antibiotics. One puppy died suddenly after recovering from the initial illness. A necropsy revealed evidence of sepsis (generalized infection) and stomach ulcer consistent with a bacterial infection. Blue Ridge Beef recalled 9,600 lbs of the Puppy Mix after testing by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirmed the presence of Salmonella in a sample of the product.

A history lesson

According to the FDA Inspections Dashboard, Lea-Way Farms has been inspected three times—in 2016 (Voluntary Action Indicated), 2019 (Official Action Indicated), and 2021 (Official Action Indicated).

The Official Action taken following the 2019 inspection culminated in a Warning Letter issued on June 26, 2020, and addressed to Steven J. Lee, CEO/Owner of the company. In this letter, the FDA cited multiple, serious violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). The agency also noted that Lea-Way had failed to renew its food facility registration, as required by law.

Some of the cGMP violations included:

• Raw materials were not examined to ensure their suitability for manufacturing and processing, and were not handled under conditions that would protect the food from contamination. Specifically, the company used tissues from animals that died otherwise than by slaughter without determining whether the animals had been sick, or injured, or medicated prior to death.
• Concrete floors of the kill floor (used for skinning and evisceration of whole animals), the cooler room, and the grinder/mixer room were rough and pitted, and there were standing pools of water.
• Thawing beef parts were allowed to come into contact with the concrete floors.
• Carcasses were dragged on the concrete floors, dropped from the railing system onto the floors, and trimmed from the floors.
• Stomach contents and fecal matter were observed to have spilled over onto exposed carcasses, which were then transferred into the cooler area without being rinsed clean.

One year later, not much had changed. A July/August 2021 inspection revealed multiple violations, some of which were repeat observations from 2019.

• Although the company’s Food Safety Plan specified daily sampling of product for pathogen testing, no samples had been collected or analyzed since the April 2019 inspection.
• The company used pathogen reduction steps that had not been validated for their ability to reduce the level or presence of pathogens in the finished product.
• The company still used tissues from animals that had died other than by slaughter without determining whether they had been sick, diseased, injured, or medicated prior to death.
• The company was unable to provide monitoring records associated with metal detection, sanitation, pest control, environmental monitoring, water testing, and employee training.
• The concrete floors had not been repaired.
• Environmental testing had not been conducted since April 2019, and the test kits on had had expired on 22 Feb 2018.
• Salmonella London, Salmonella Montevideo, and Listeria monocytogenes were recovered from finished product samples collected during the course of the inspection.

The company responds

The company responded in writing to the observations from the 2021 inspection with a list of promised corrections, including:

• A hazard analysis had been generated and supplied to the FDA.
• Random product samples would be tested using test swabs and, if positive, would be sent to a third party lab for analysis.
• Documentation of pathogen reduction effectiveness would be made available during subsequent inspections.
• The cattle in question were shot on the farm and the carcasses transported to the manufacturing facility. The farm advised the company that the cattle had not received any medication.
• Monitoring records are now updated daily and have been made available to FDA.
• Employee training has been updated and all employees have been retrained in proper procedures.
• New test swabs for environmental testing were ordered and periodic testing will resume.
• The company is seeking a contractor who can perform a resurfacing of the concrete floor that can withstand cleaning and sanitation and be affordable.

Then what happened?

We don’t know.

There has been no Warning Letter issued as a follow-up to the 2021 inspection.

The FDA did not release their reply to the company’s corrective measures as part of the agency’s response to eFoodAlert‘s Freedom of Information Act requests.

As best we can tell from the FDA Inspection Database, there has been no further follow-up inspection since 2021.

An email to FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine spokespersons regarding the most recent recall notice has gone unanswered so far.

What does this mean?

The FDA’s silence and apparent inaction could mean one of two things: either the agency does not have the resources to conduct a proper follow-up investigation at Blue Ridge Beef, or the FDA is quietly preparing legal action against the company.

Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, consumers who choose to feed their dogs and cats commercial raw pet foods should consider switching to a brand with a better track record for food safety.

“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: