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“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News
Interested in learning more about food safety and the history of foodborne disease outbreaks and investigations?
Click on the link to listen to a short excerpt, then follow the buy links to add a digital, print or audio copy to your personal library.
USA (Final Update): CDC and FDA have completed their investigation of 34 cases of Salmonella Bovismorbificans illnesses reported from six states. Six people were hospitalized. The CDC has declared the outbreak to be over and the FDA reports that the source of the outbreak was contaminated broccoli sprouts and seeds. The investiation led to the recall of broccoli sprouts grown by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, LLC and of broccoli seeds for sprouted supplied by three companies.
USA (Updates): FDA has closed several foodborne disease outbreak investigations. The 43-case outbreak of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- illnesses was traced to romaine lettuce. A 119-case outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections was closed without a source having been identified. A 175-case outbreak of Cyclospora illnesses was likely due to contaminated parsley. Two additional Cyclospora outbreak investigations and a Salmonella Oranienburg investigation were closed without a source having been identified. Other investigations remain open.
Food Safety Recall: Once Upon a Farm recalls all lots and varieties of fruit-flavored Tractor Wheel Organic Toddler Soft-Baked bars due to a choking hazard. The composition of the Tractor Wheel toddler snack can rapidly hydrate into a dense, dry, and sticky mass upon contact with saliva and during chewing, which can result in a potential choking hazard for toddlers for ages 1.5-2.5 years old.
Pet Food Safety Recall: Arrow Reliance Inc recalls Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats, Frozen (2-lb pkgs; Lots 12731 and 12493; MFG dates Jul 08, 2026 and Apr 02, 2026, respectively) due to potential Salmonella contamination. No public recall notice was issued. Consignees were notified by email. The total quantity of recalled product is unknown at this time.
FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns La Cabana Food Distributing, Inc. that a November 12, 2025 through December 5, 2025 of the company’s manufacturing facility found serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulations. In addition, FDA laboratory analyses of the environmental swabs collected during the inspection of the facility found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, a human pathogen.
FDA Warning Letter: FDA warns IF Co-Pack, LLC dba Initiative Foods that a March 31 to April 9, 2026 inspection of the company’s high-acid, acidified, and low-acid canned (LACF) fruit and vegetable baby food products manufacturing facility found significant violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation.
Canada
Food Safety Recall: Boucherie Viau inc. (Hemmingford, QC) recalls jambon cuit carré / square cooked ham (whole or sliced) (Variable weight; Lot 260926JC; Best before 26 nov. 5; UPC 6 46437 75445 3) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
Food Safety Recall: Le Bon Goût Des Épices (Bristol, QC) recalls LE BON GOÛT DES ÉPICES spice marinade (Glass jars; Sold up to 3 November 2026; UPC 0 81975 272004) due to potential for growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Food Safety Recall: BSA Wiberg Inc. recalls BSA Wiberg brand dry mixes due to foreign matter contamination (pieces of metal).
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Ireland and United Kingdom
Allergy Alert (Ireland): Dunnes Storesrecalls Dunnes Stores 8 Southern Fried Chicken Sliders (272g; Use by 08/11/2026) due to undeclared egg and milk.
Allergy Alert (Ireland): Manufacturer recalls Rubicon Yuzu & Pink Grapefruit Cartons (1 L; Batch codes 6160, 6198, 6219, and 6257; Best before June 2027, July 2027, August 2027, and September 2027, respectively) due to undeclared sulphites.
Allergy Alert (Ireland): Trade recalls Tobby Foods Kuli Kuli (200g; All batch codes and Best before dates) and Tobby Foods Suya Spice (150g; All batch codes and Best before dates) due to undeclared peanuts.
Allergy Alert (UK): AG Barr recalls Rubicon Yuzu & Pink Grapefruit Cartons (1 L; Batch codes 6160, 6198, 6219, and 6257; Best before June 2027, July 2027, August 2027, and September 2027, respectively) due to undeclared sulphites.
Hong Kong and Singapore
No Alerts
Australia and New Zealand
No Alerts
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“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
FDA issues new safety advisory after two cats fall sick
October 26, 2026
The FDA is cautioning cat owners not to feed their pets two lots of Darwin’s Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats after both lots tested positive for Salmonella.
The affected lots are identified as Lot 12731, MFG Date: Jul 08, 2026 and Lot 12493, MFG Date: Apr 02, 2026, and are sold frozen in 2-pound white and clear plastic packages with green and black labeling.
The FDA tested samples from these two lots after receiving a consumer complaint about two cats that developed symptoms of gastroenteritis after having consumed the product. One of the cats was hospitalized.
Both cats recovered after being switched to a different food.
The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance, Inc., the manufacturer of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, initiate a recall. As of today, the company has not complied.
Déjà vu…again
In the movie Groundhog Day, the main character relives the same 24-hour period over and over again, until he gets it right.
What better metaphor than that for the years-long dispute between the FDA and Arrow Reliance?
The company and the FDA have been at loggerheads for close to a decade over repeated instances of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Darwin’s dog and cat foods. Multiple inspections of the company’s production facility in Tukwila, Washington, have documented environmental contamination and sanitation deficiencies.
On August 11, 2026, the US Department of Justice, acting on behalf of the FDA, filed a complaint in federal court asking for a permanent injunction to prevent Arrow Reliance and its owner from “…manufacturing and selling adulterated pet food.”
Adulteration due to containing a poisonous or deleterious substance
Adulteration due to production under insanitary conditions
Failure to follow preventive controls regulation
Failure to register as a food facility
Introduction of unapproved new animal drug into interstate commerce.
In response, the company filed a motion requesting that the court dismiss the third and fourth counts. Arrow Reliance claims that it is a “retail food establishment” because it sells directly to consumers through its website, and therefore, is not required to register as a food facility. The company further claims that as a “retail food establishment,” it is not required to follow the federal preventive controls regulation.
The case is still pending.
What FDA wants consumers to know
If you have any of the lots of Darwin’s Natural Selections cat food products 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 part of the package with the lot code 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, 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 yards, parks, or other 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.
Pets do not always display symptoms when infected with Salmonella, but signs can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, loss of appetite and/or decreased activity level. If your pet has these symptoms, consult a veterinarian promptly.
Pets do not need to display symptoms of illness to pass bacteria on to their human companions. Infected pets can shed these bacteria in their feces and saliva, further contaminating the household environment, other animals, and sometimes, people. To help prevent the spread of bacteria from infected pets to other animals or people, it is important to clean up feces immediately, to wash hands after touching the pet or its environment and avoid contact with the saliva of pets.
How to report a pet illness
People who think their pets have become ill after consuming contaminated pet food should first contact a veterinarian.
The FDA encourages consumers and veterinarians to report complaints about pet food products electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal.
“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
Manufacturer and owner of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products charged with six counts under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
On August 7, 2026, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), acting on behalf of the US Food and Drug Administration, filed a Complaint in federal court against Arrow Reliance Inc. (d/b/a Darwin’s Natural Pet Products) (Darwin’s) and the company’s owner, Gary Tashjian.
The Complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court For The Western District Of Washington At Seattle, seeks to permanently enjoin the defendants from:
introducing or causing to be introduced, or delivering or causing to be delivered for introduction, into interstate commerce, articles of food that are adulterated;
by operating a facility that is not in compliance with preventive controls requirements;
doing acts that result in articles of food becoming adulterated while such food is held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce;
failing to register as a food facility as required; and
by introducing or causing to be introduced, or delivering or causing to be delivered for introduction, into interstate commerce, articles of drugs that are adulterated.
Darwin’s has been a manufacturer of raw pet food since 2004.
In 2011, the company’s production facility was inspected for the first time by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The sole purpose of the inspection was to determine compliance with rules for handling meat potentially contaminated with the agent that causes ‘mad cow disease.’
In 2014, Darwin’s moved to its present location in Tukwila, Washington. Two years later, the FDA and the WSDA conducted a joint inspection of the company’s manufacturing plant.
During the course of the inspection, the investigators collected two finished product samples for microbiological analysis. One of the samples was found to contain Salmonella. Fortunately, the production lot from which it came had not yet been shipped.
In October 2017, the WSDA received a communication from a consumer who complained that Darwin’s food had made her dog sick. The information was transmitted to the FDA, and a federal inspector collected the remaining food from the consumer’s home. The sample tested positive for both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
In November 2017, the company sent an email to its customers, advising them of a product recall. One of the customers, whose dog had been suffering from unexplained diarrhea for several months, decided to have her companion tested for Salmonella. When the result came back positive, she filed a complaint with the FDA.
On December 4, 2017, the FDA and WSDA began a joint intensive inspection of Darwin’s. The investigators documented multiple food safety infractions. Two samples collected during the course of the inspection were found to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Since the inspection that began in December 2017 and was completed in 2018, the FDA inspected the Darwin’s facility multiple times: in 2018-2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The federal agency and its state partners also found pathogens on multiple occasions, including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O128 (shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or STEC).
Sick pets
The FDA has received reports in past years of sick animals who had been fed a Darwin’s product.
In December 2018, after receiving a report of Salmonella infection in a sick dog, the agency collected unopened packages from three different lots of Darwin’s dog food from the pet owner’s home. They found Salmonella in all three samples.
In July 2022, the FDA was contacted by a cat owner whose three cats became sick after being fed Darwin’s raw cat food. Again, the agency collected unopened packages of three different lot codes from the cat owner’s home. Two of the three samples were found to contain Salmonella.
In September 2023, four cats in the same household became sick after eating a Darwin’s cat food. A sample of unopened food collected from the cat owner’s home was positive for Salmonella.
In August 2025, the FDA received a complaint of a dog death. Unopened packages collected from the pet owner’s home were found to contain Listeria monocytogenes in one instance and both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in the other instance.
Overall, from 2016 through January 2026, the FDA received a total of 49 consumer complaints involving sick pets who had been fed a Darwin’s raw pet food. The list includes 34 sick dogs, including five that died, and 35 sick cats, including four deaths.
Sick people
In June 2025, the FDA was informed of a four-year-old child who had become infected with E. coli O157:H7 the previous year and had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The child’s family fed its pet dog Darwin’s raw pet food. Third-party tests conducted on unopened Darwin’s food from the family’s home found Salmonella, and a sample from a different lot was contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
The genetic profile of the E. coli O157:H7 isolated from the child’s stool was an exact match to the isolate recovered from the unopened Darwin’s pet food sample collected from the family’s home.
As part of its investigation, the FDA compared the genetic profile of isolates from Darwin’s pet foods against the profiles of clinical and food surveillance isolates in the public database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Nine of the isolates from Darwin’s pet food samples collected in 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024, and 2025 matched human clinical isolates in the database.
Company push-back
On multiple occasions, Darwin’s has refused to initiate product recalls after the FDA or one of its partner state agencies documented the presence of a pathogen such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, or STEC in a sample of its pet food. In these cases, the FDA has resorted to public health notices instead.
On August 2, 2022, the company filed a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction in federal court, asking that the FDA be prevented from posting a notice to alert the public to the presence of a pathogen in a Darwin’s product.
The Court rejected the motion and the FDA was able to post its public health notice three days later.
Darwin’s has repeatedly denied that its products were adulterated, claiming, among other arguments, that the presence of Salmonella in raw meat or poultry is natural, and is allowed by the USDA.
In April 2018, the FDA issued a Warning Letter to the company, advising that its products were adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The Warning Letter noted the presence of Salmonella and STEC in samples of the company’s products.
The agency issued a second Warning Letter in February 2023, noting that the company’s pet food was contaminated with Salmonella.
Neither Warning Letter had the desired effect.
The charges (and brief explanations)
Adulteration due to containing a poisonous or deleterious substance.
Food is adulterated if it bears or contains a poisonous or deleterious substance, such as Salmonella or STEC.
Adulteration due to production under insanitary conditions
Darwin’s manufactured, packed, and held ready-to-eat raw pet food without eliminating Salmonella, STEC and/or Listeria monocytogenes from the finished food as part of the manufacturing process.
The FDA recovered Salmonella from an environmental swab sample during their 2024 inspection of the company’s manufacturing facility. The inspection team also noted dirty water and debris from dirty equipment pooling on top of containers of cleanser and sanitizer and falling into the opening of those containers. Also, the floor throughout the production room and the base of a pillar were damaged and pitted, with water, blood, and raw ingredients accumulating in the damaged areas.
Failure to follow preventive controls regulation
The company identified contamination of their pet food with Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes as possible hazards, but failed to identify adequate preventive controls to minimize or prevent the hazards from occurring.
FDA made the company aware of the repeated presence of pathogens in their raw pet food products, but Darwin’s has not remedied their conduct.
Failure to register as a food facility
Darwin’s meets the definition of a food facility, which is an “establishment, structure, or structures under one ownership at one general physical location…that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States.“
Despite the notification contained in the FDA’s February 16, 2023, Warning Letter, the company’s owner, Gary Tashjian has failed to register Darwin’s facility.
Introduction of unapproved New Animal Drug into interstate commerce
Statements on the company’s website include claims that Darwin’s raw pet food is intended to prevent, cure, and/or treat disease in animals. The company’s claims qualify the raw pet food products as drugs “…intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals.”
Ongoing conduct
Based on the experience and evidence accumulated over a period of almost ten years, the FDA believes that the company will continue to violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act and regulations unless restrained by the Court.
The bottom line
The DOJ, acting on behalf of the FDA has asked the court to:
Order the company, Gary Tashjian, and any and all persons in active concert or participation with them to “…cease manufacturing, processing, preparing, packing, holding, or distributing articles of animal food, unless and until Defendants’ facilities, methods, processes, and controls used to manufacture, process, prepare, pack, hold, and distribute articles of animal food are established, operated, and administered in conformity with the FDCA and applicable regulations, in a manner acceptable to FDA.”
Permanently restrain and enjoin the company, Gary Tashjian, and any and all persons in active concert or participation with them from directly or indirectly
introducing or or delivering into interstate commerce any adulterated animal food
operating a food facility without complying with preventive controls
causing animal food held for sale after shipment to become adulterated
operating a food facility without registering
introducing or delivering into interstate commerce any adulterated new animal drug
Authorize the FDA to inspect Darwin’s place of business and all records relating to the manufacture, processing, preparing, packing, holding, and distribution of the company’s products to ensure continuing compliance with the terms of the injunction, with the company bearing the costs of such inspections.
Award costs to Plaintiff (FDA) incurred to date, including the costs of the investigation to date.
“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
