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.

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:

Darwin’s to customer: Salmonella-contaminated food “is fine”

In September 2023, an employee of Arrow Reliance, Inc. (doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products) assured a consumer that Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats (Lot 9830, manufactured on Jul 19, 2023), was “fine,” even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had advised the public the month before that the batch in question was contaminated with Salmonella.

The consumer contacted the company after their cat was diagnosed with a Salmonella infection, according to documents obtained by eFoodAlert in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

The consumer discarded the unused portions of the cat food and on September 14, 2023, filed a Pet Food Report with the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

In response to a separate complaint, filed a few days earlier, the FDA collected an unused portion of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selection Chicken Recipe for Cats (Lot code unknown) from the home of a consumer in a different state. The consumer reported that all four of their cats developed gastrointestinal problems after having consumed the product.

The FDA lab found two different Salmonella serotypes (Typhimurium and Hadar) in the sample.

Company aware of contamination

In August 2023, the FDA conducted the latest in a series of investigations into conditions at the Darwin’s Tukwila (Washington State) manufacturing facility.

On August 11, 2023, at the completion of their inspection, FDA investigators presented the company’s owner, Gary Tashjian, with a list of outstanding issues (FDA Form 483, Inspectional Observations). These observations included:

The detection of Salmonella in three different products, manufactured on June 13, June 28, and July 19, 2023.
Use of an unvalidated process as a preventative control for pathogens in the products over a four-month time span.
Lack of documentation that the preventative control process was carried out.

When the company declined to recall the three Salmonella-positive product batches, the FDA issued an Advisory to pet owners, cautioning them to avoid feeding the potentially hazardous batches to their pets.

In a written response to the list of observations, the company asserted (not for the first time) that it was a “…Retail Food Establishment and therefore … not subject to the provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act which require a food safety plan and preventive controls.”

Notwithstanding this assertion, the company arranged for an independent lab to test retained samples from the implicated products, and reported that their lab found “only trace amounts” of Salmonella in just one of the batches identified by the FDA.

Darwin’s also claimed that the unvalidated process was a “temporary substitution” for its usual, validated process, was initiated as a result of an equipment failure, and that the company had since reverted to the validated process.

Finally, the company reported that it had initiated proper documentation of its preventative control process in response to the FDA’s final observation.

Fraught history

The relationship between Arrow Reliance (Darwin’s) and the FDA has been fraught with discord and disputes almost since the initial inspection of the company’s facilities in 2016. The story is told in some detail in TOXIC: From Factory To Food Bowl, Pet Food Is a Risky Business. More recent chapters in the evolution of Darwin’s relationship with the FDA can be found by entering “Darwin” in the eFoodAlert search box at the top of the page (right hand side).

Do your part to support pet food safety

The FDA relies heavily on reports from consumers and veterinarians to highlight possible pet food safety issues. If you suspect that a pet food or pet treat has caused your furry or feathered companion to become ill, please report your concerns to the FDA.

Pet owners can report suspected illness to FDA electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. It’s most helpful if you work with your veterinarian to submit a pet’s medical records as part of the report. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.

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

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

Recalls and Alerts: October 12–13, 2023

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.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

TOXIC

From Factory To Food Bowl
PET FOOD IS A RISKY BUSINESS

Available from all major on-line retailers, including:

Enjoy the slideshow as you listen to a sample of TOXIC, narrated by the author.

“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.

United States

Allergy Alert: Betty Lou’s Inc. recalls Stabilyze Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter (1.76 oz (50g); Best before 05APR24 0053) due to undeclared sesame.

Allergy Alert: Yarnell Operations LLC recalls Yarnell’s Guilt Free No Sugar Added Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (48 ounces/1.5 quart; Lots 3135, 3136, 3216; Best by 11/15/2024, 11/16/2024, 02/04/2025, respectively) due to undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert: PARADISE FLAVORS LLC recalls all Paradise Flavors ice cream bars due to multiple undeclared allergens and color additives. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert: PepsiCo Caribbean, Inc. recalls Quaker Pancake with Whole Grain Oats Mix (15.97 oz.; Best Before / Codes APR 24 HAB101 & JUN 24 HAB201) due to undeclared soy.

Food Safety Recall: Maisie Jane’s California Sunshine Products Inc. recalls Maisie Jane’s Smooth almond butter (12 oz glass jars; Lot 30122; Best by/Use by 10/24) due to high levels of aflatoxin.

Food Safety Recall: Don Miguel Foods recalls DON MIGUEL Hand Made BURRITO CARNE ASADA (7-oz. individual wax paper packages; Date code D23270) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Pet Food Safety Advisory: FDA cautions pet owners not to feed Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats (Lot 9802, manufactured Jul 7, 2023) due to Salmonella contamination.

Canada

Food Safety Recall Update: Ararat Trading (2002) Corp. recalls Ararat brand Tahina (600g; Lot 031221-01 TR-27-K-000027; Expiry date 03.12.2023; UPC 8 80002 40102 5) due to Salmonella contamination. The recalled product was distributed in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and possibly other provinces and territories.

Europe

Allergy Alert (France): DE NEUVILLE recalls various varieties of DE NEUVILLE brand Bouchées et sucettes en chocolat / Chocolate bites and lollipops (All Lots; Best before dates between 28/06/2023 and 24/09/2024) due to undeclared allergens. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (Ireland): Rose Bakery Bites Coconut Bites (170g; Best before 02.06.2024; Product of Ireland) contains undeclared egg.

Allergy Alert (UK): Aldi GB recalls Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry (500g; All Use by dates) due to undeclared wheat (gluten). The recalled product was distributed in England, Scotland and Wales.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Kohberg recalls Møllens Brød Krydderboller / Spice buns (12 pieces (700g); Best before 16.10.2023), COOP Krydderboller / Spice buns (12 pieces (700g); Best before 15.10.2023), and Møllesten Krydderboller / Spice buns (12 pieces (700g); Best before 16.10.2023) due to possible foreign matter contamination (metal shavings).

Food Safety Recall (France): LES VIANDES DU LYS recalls ROTI DE PORD ORLOFF CHORIZO EMMENTAL / Roast pork with chorizo and emmental (Lot 43923; Use by 14/10/2023) due to Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): FROMAGERIE BAECHLER recalls various Baechler brand Raclette cheeses due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (France): CONDITIONNEMENT D’EAU MINERALE GUILLAUME PERLYNE recalls PERLYNE brand eau minérale naturelle / natural mineral water (1.5 L; Lot L23271-1; Use by 28/09/2025) due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): LA FOURNEE DOREE recalls LA FOURNEE DOREE brand NAVETTES (Multiple package formats and batch codes) due to possible foreign matter contamination (metal). Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (France): R’PUR saveurs mer recalls saveurs mer brand Soupe du pêcheur et soupe d’été / Fisherman’s soup and summer soup (All lot codes; Use by 11/03/2024, 12/01/2024 & 03/10/2023) due to the possibility of inadequate pasteurization.

Food Safety Recall (France): R’PUR saveurs mer recalls various flavors of saveurs mer brand Rilettes (90g & 180g; All lot codes; Multiple Use by dates) due to the possibility of inadequate pasteurization. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (France): R’PUR saveurs mer recalls various varieties of saveurs mer brand Plats préparés chauds / Prepared hot dishes (180g & 360g; All lot codes; Multiple Use by dates) due to the possibility of inadequate pasteurization. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (France): R’PUR saveurs mer recalls saveurs mer brand Terrine de poisson / Fish terrine (180g & 360g; All lot codes; Use by 17/10/2023) due to the possibility of inadequate pasteurization.

Food Safety Recall (France): LES SALOIRS D’ESPELETTE Kukulu recalls Kukulu, Les Saloirs d’Espelette, Antonin, Tomme d’Espelette, Kalaka brands Fromage brebis poivron piment / Sheep milk cheese with pepper and pimento (4 kg; Lots BP61223, BP61323, BP70323; Best before dates between 24/01/2024 and 20/03/2024) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): Alnatura Produktions- und Handels GmbH recalls Alnatura Kichererbsen / Chickpeas (330g glass jar; Lot L0322/14; Best before 31.12.2026) due to possible foreign matter contamination (glass particles).

Australia and New Zealand

Food Safety Recall (New Zealand): Epicurean Dairy Ltd recalls The Collective Suckies Strawberry Kids Yoghurt (4 x 100g; Batch codes 28798 T3 & 28798 T1; Date markings 20 OCT 2023 & 21 OCT 2023) due to possible foreign matter contamination (black plastic).