Tracking the SoyNut Butter Recall

UPDATED MARCH 24, 2017 WITH ADDITIONAL RETAIL DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION in USA and CANADA

Twenty-three people, twenty of them under 18 years of age, have been infected with E. coli O157:H7, according to an updated report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The youngest victim is 2 years old.

Ten of the victims have been hospitalized, and seven are suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially life-threatening complication of E. coli O157:H7 infections.

Illnesses have been reported from nine states, including Arizona (4), California (5), Maryland (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (1), Oregon (6), Virginia (2) Washington (2) and Wisconsin (1).

Although the SoyNut Butter Co. is headquartered in Illinois, no illnesses have been reported from that state.

All 15 of the victims interviewed by outbreak investigators reported either eating I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter at home (nine people) in the week before they became ill, attending a facility that served I.M. Health brand SoyNut Butter (two people), or attending childcare centers that served I.M. Healthy brand SoyNut Butter and I.M. Healthy brand granola coated with SoyNut Butter (four people).

On March 3rd, The SoyNut Butter Co. recalled certain production date codes of I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter. This recall was expanded to include all varieties of I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butters and all varieties of I.M. Healthy Granola products on March 7th.

The recall was expanded once more on March 10th to include Dixie Diner’s Club brand Carb Not Beanit Butter (all Best By dates). The Dixie Diner’s Club product was sold only via mail order or online portals.

On March 24th, Pro Sports Club (Bellevue, WA) recalled 36,957 20/20 Life Styles brand Yogurt Peanut Crunch bars (2 oz net wt; lot code B.B. 22JUL17 (best by July 22, 2017), UPC Code 78571 00052) that were manufactured using an ingredient recalled by Soy Nut Butter Company. The bars were sold directly to clients at the PRO Sports facilities in Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle (Washington state) between August 8, 2016 and March 10, 2017. Product was also sold to internet customers through www.2020lifestyles.com.

Where were the recalled products sold?

The recalled products were distributed in multiple states and may have been purchased in stores or through mail order. They were also distributed to childcare centers and schools in multiple states. FDA is constrained by regulation from revealing details of the retail distribution.

The following recalled products also were distributed across Canada:

I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter – 425g/15 oz (UPC 6 54989 91010 4 and 6 54989 94020 0)
I.M. Healthy Chunky SoyNut Butter – 425g/15 oz (UPC 6 54989 92010 3 and 6 54989 95020 9)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened SoyNut Butter – 425g (UPC 6 54989 96020 8)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened Creamy SoyNut Butter – 425g/15 oz (UPC 6 54989 93010 2)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter – 4255 (UPC 6 54989 97020 7)
I.M. Healthy Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter – 425g/15 oz (UPC 6 54989 94010 1)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 425g/15 oz (UPC 6 54989 97010 8 and 6 54989 98020 6)
I.M. Healthy Original Granola – 340g/12 oz (UPC 6 54989 40035 3)
I.M. Healthy Raisin & Cranberry Granola – 340g/12 oz (UPC 6 54989 40036 0)
I.M. Healthy Apple Granola – 340g/12 oz (UPC 6 54989 40037 7)
I.M. Healthy Blueberry Granola – 340g/12 oz (UPC 6 54989 40038 4)

Dixie Diners’ Club brand Carb Not Beanit Butter (15 oz.; all product codes; UPC 6 16578 78105 2)

New Era Nutrition Inc. has recalled the following energy bars:
SoLo GI Lemon Lift – 50g (Codes BB/MA 11/04/17/ 5410621700, 02/02/18/ 5410630700 & 04/09/18/ 5410700900; UPC 8 97024 00060 0)
SoLo GI Lemon Lift – 12 x 50g (Codes BB/MA 11/04/17/ 5410621700, 02/02/18/ 5410630700 & 04/09/18/ 5410700900; UPC 8 97024 00061 7)
SoLo GI White Chocolate Cherry – 50g (Codes BB/MA 12/22/17/ 5410626600, & 04/12/18/ 5410701200; UPC 8 97024 00109 6)
SoLo GI White Chocolate Cherry – 12 x 50g (Codes BB/MA 12/22/17/ 5410626600, & 04/12/18/ 5410701200; UPC 8 97024 00110 2)
SoLo GI Pineapple Coconut – 50g (BB/MA 02/02/18/ 5410630700; UPC 8 97024 00066 2)
SoLo GI Pineapple Coconut – 12 x 50g (BB/MA 02/02/18/ 5410630700; UPC 8 97024 00067 9)

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services advises that the following retailers in the state sold one or more of the recalled products: Shaw’s, Hannaford, Target, Market Basket, DeMoulas, and Whole Foods locations; Hanover Coop, Littleton Coop, Lebanon Coop, and Philbrick’s Fresh Market in Portsmouth; and to the food distributor United Natural Foods Inc.

Based on a search of retailer websites, the following is a partial distribution list in the US:

Baker’s
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Big Y
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 65498991010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened SoyNut Butter (UPC 65498993010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Creamy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 65498994010; 15 oz)

Buehlers Fresh Foods
I.M. Healthy items (see recall notice for details)

City Market
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Copps
Granola w/Raisins & Cranberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40036)
Sugar Free Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-93010)
Original Granola – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40035)
Granola w/Apples – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40037)
Granola w/Blueberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40038)
Original Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-91010)
Original Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-92010)
Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-94010)
Honey Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-95010)
Sugar Free Chunky SoyNut Butter – (UPC 54989-96010)
Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-97010)

Davis Food Co-op (Davis, CA)
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter

Dillons
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Food City
I.M. Healthy Soy Nut Butter 15 oz.

Fred Meyer
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Fry’s
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Gerbes
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Giant Eagle
SOY NUT BUTTER CREAMY (UPC 65498991010)
IMHLT SOYNUT BUTTERCHUNKY (UPC 65498992010)
I’M HEALTHY ORIG CREAMY CHOCOLATE SOYNUT BUTTER (UPC 65498997010)

Giant Food
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498997010)
I.M. Healthy Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498992010)
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498991010)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498993010)

Hannaford
IM Healthy Original Creamy Soy Nut Butter (UPC 654989 91010)

Harris Teeter
SoyNut Butter Creamy (15 oz; UPC 006 549 899 1010)

King Soopers
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Kroger
(stores located in Georgia; South Carolina; Auburn, Alabama; Greater Cincinnati (including Northern Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio plus South Eastern Indiana); Central and Northwest Ohio; Northwestern Virginia panhandle; Michigan; Indiana (except SE Indiana, -Evansville-); Illinois; Eastern Missouri; Greater Louisville area (including Indiana) and Lexington, Kentucky; Greater Memphis area, Tennessee; Arkansas; Mississippi; Western Kentucky; Hopkinsville and Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; North Carolina; Virginia; Eastern West Virginia; Eastern Kentucky; Southeastern Ohio; Texas and Louisiana)
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Lowes Foods
IM Healthy Soy Nut Creamy Butter (UPC 6-54989-91010)

Lucky Supermarkets
IM Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 65498991010)

Mariano’s
Granola w/Raisins & Cranberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40036)
Sugar Free Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-93010)
Original Granola – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40035)
Granola w/Apples – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40037)
Granola w/Blueberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40038)
Original Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-91010)
Original Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-92010)
Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-94010)
Honey Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-95010)
Sugar Free Chunky SoyNut Butter – (UPC 54989-96010)
Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-97010)

Martins
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498997010)
I.M. Healthy Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498992010)
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498991010)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498993010)

Metro Market
Granola w/Raisins & Cranberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40036)
Sugar Free Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-93010)
Original Granola – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40035)
Granola w/Apples – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40037)
Granola w/Blueberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40038)
Original Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-91010)
Original Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-92010)
Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-94010)
Honey Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-95010)
Sugar Free Chunky SoyNut Butter – (UPC 54989-96010)
Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-97010)

Pick ‘n Save
Granola w/Raisins & Cranberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40036)
Sugar Free Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-93010)
Original Granola – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40035)
Granola w/Apples – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40037)
Granola w/Blueberries – 12 oz (UPC 54989-40038)
Original Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-91010)
Original Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-92010)
Honey Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-94010)
Honey Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-95010)
Sugar Free Chunky SoyNut Butter – (UPC 54989-96010)
Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989-97010)

Price Chopper
I.M. Healthy Original Chunky Soy Nut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 65498 99201)
I.M. Healthy Creamy Soy Nut Butter – 15 oz (UPC 54989 91010)

Publix
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter

QFC
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Ralph’s
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (Sacramento, CA)
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter

Schnucks
I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter Creamy (UPC 65498991010)
I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter Chunky (UPC 65498992010)
I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter Creamy Honey (UPC 65498994010)
I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter Creamy Unsweetened (UPC 65498993010)
I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter Creamy Chocolate (UPC 65498997010)

ShopRite
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNutButter – 15 oz. (UPC 65498993010)
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNutButter – 15 oz. (UPC 65498991010)
I.M. Healthy Chunky SoyNutButtter – 15 oz. (UPC 65498992010)

Smith’s
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-91010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Honey SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-94010; 15 oz)
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter (UPC 654989-97010: 15 oz)

Sprouts Farmers Market
I.M. Healthy Butter-Soy Nut Creamy – 15 oz (UPC 6-54989-91010)

Stop and Shop
I.M. Healthy Chocolate SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498997010)
I.M. Healthy Chunky SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498992010)
I.M. Healthy Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498991010)
I.M. Healthy Unsweetened Creamy SoyNut Butter – 15 OZ (UPC: 65498993010)

Target
IM HEALTHY CREAMY SOY NUT BUTTER 15 OZ

U.S. Foods (foodservice)
I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter – Original Creamy, Chunky, Honey Creamy, Unsweetened and Chocolate (15 oz plastic jars, individual portion cups, 4 lb plastic tubs, or 45 lb pails)
I.M. Healthy Granola – Original, Apple, Blueberry, and Raisin and Cranberry (individual serving packages, 12 oz bags, 50 oz bags, and 25 lb bulk bag)

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter

Whole Foods Market
I.M. Healthy Original Creamy SoyNut Butter

Please check back periodically, as this list will be updated whenever more information becomes available.

Evanger’s and Against the Grain Recall additional products

Initial recalls expanded to include 13 months’ production and a third product

Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food on March 4 announced a voluntary expansion of its earlier dog food recalls due to potential adulteration with pentobarbital.

The expansion of the company’s February 3rd recall of five production lots of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef canned dog food and its February 14th recall of one production lot of Against the Grain Pulled Beef canned dog food is being carried out ‘Out of an abundance of caution,’ according to today’s announcement.

Evanger’s first advised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) of its intention to expand the product recall on February 20,2017 and announced the planned recall in a letter to its distributors and retailers on February 28, 2017.

The recall encompasses all 12-oz. cans of the following hand-packed products manufactured between December 2015 and January 2017 and bearing expiration dates of December 2019 through January 2021. The numbers listed below represent the second half of the barcode for each product.

Evanger’s Hunk of Beef: 20109
Evanger’s Braised Beef: 20107
Against the Grain Pulled Beef: 80001

The recalled products were distributed online and through independent boutique pet stores nationwide.

FDA initiated an investigation of Evanger’s manufacturing facilities in early last January, after receiving word that a dog had died and four other dogs had been sickened following ingesting food from a can of Evanger’s Hunk of Beef.

Lab testing revealed the presence of pentobarbital, a euthanasia agent, in the stomach contents of the dead dog, in the remnants of food from the opened can, and in food from unopened cans of the same production lot of Hunk of Beef obtained from the owner of the dogs and from the retailer. Additional lab testing, carried out by FDA, detected pentobarbital in a can of Against the Grain Pulled Beef canned dog food.

Against the Grain Pulled Beef is manufactured by Evanger’s.

In an advisory to consumers, released on February 17 and updated on March 3, FDA reported that a bill of lading from Evanger’s supplier, which the pet food manufacturer had claimed was “USDA approved”, referred to “Inedible Hand Deboned Beef – For Pet Food Use Only. Not Fit For Human Consumption.”

Investigation of a certificate number displayed on the bill of lading determined that it referred to an export certification number that had been issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). The certification, according to a spokesperson with USDA-APHIS, had expired in the mid 2000s.

FDA has received ten additional complaints from consumers who believe their dogs have been affected adversely after consuming by Evanger’s Hunk of Beef dog food. Five of the complaints mention symptoms that are consistent with possible pentobarbital poisoning. The agency is following up on four of the complaints, which provided veterinary and product lot number identification.

FDA continues to encourage consumers to report problems with Evanger’s products through the Safety Reporting Portal or by contacting a Consumer Complaint Coordinator. Empty cans or partially used cans of food to facilitate collection of specific lot number information may be retained. Additional information is available on the FDA web page, “How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.“

This article first appeared on Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

Dog Food Meat Supplier Aces Inspection; Investigation Ongoing

Questions remain on source of euthanasia drug in Evanger’s and Against the Grain pet food

The Food and Drug Administration has completed its investigation into the supplier that furnished meat used in recalled canned dog food that was found to contain the animal euthanasia drug pentobarbital.

As yet unidentified, the supplier provides meat used in Evanger’s brand Hunk of Beef and Nutripack’s Against the Grain Pulled Beef brand dog foods, both of which are under recall. At least five dogs have required medical treatment and one died.

The FDA determined that the supplier appears to “… have systems in place to ensure that euthanized animals are segregated from animal protein going for animal food use,” an agency spokesperson said Thursday.

An FDA Form 483 Inspectional Observations report, however, will not be issued because such reports are only filed when investigators note deficiencies, which they did not do regarding the supplier for Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co.

Such animal protein meat suppliers are regulated by FDA and may also be subject to state jurisdiction, depending on the state in which they are located. No sub-agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction over this industry sector.

USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) oversees slaughterhouses and meat processors that produce meat for human consumption. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has no involvement in meat inspection at all, except for assisting suppliers with export certifications if they are exporting to other countries, according to a spokesperson for APHIS.

In a Feb. 19 letter addressed to “Dear Pet Parents” and posted on the Evanger’s web site, the company described its supplier as “USDA-APHIS inspected.” Staff from APHIS are now working with Evanger’s to clarify its authority, according to the APHIS spokesperson.

On Feb. 21, Evanger’s notified its customers that an independent test of the contents of a can of Hunk of Beef revealed the presence of horse and cow DNA in the product. The Sher family, which owns Evanger’s and Nutripack, cast blame on the meat supplier for the pentobarbital adulteration.

This is in contrast to FDA’s report that cans of Hunk of Beef obtained from the owner of the sickened dogs and from the retail location where the pet food was purchased contained beef. No Against the Grain samples were tested for species identification.

The cans of Hunk of Beef pet food were examined by a USDA-FSIS lab at FDA’s request. According to the test protocol, available on the FSIS website, the contents of a can of food would have been minced or diced and thoroughly mixed before analysis to ensure that the portion used for testing was representative of the entire can.

When asked to comment on the apparent discrepancy between Evanger’s independent DNA test result and the results reported by FSIS, a spokesperson for USDA-FSIS said the government did find trace amounts of pig and horse in the dog food.

“Although this was not an FSIS regulated-product, FDA requested that FSIS conduct speciation testing for Evanger’s Hunk of Beef dog food product,” the spokesperson said. “FSIS was contacted by FDA after they had determined that the Pentobarbital dog food product was adulterated with Pentobarbital. Agency speciation testing confirmed that the adulterated product was bovine (beef). Trace amounts of pork and equine were also found, but both were less than 2 percent and therefore not reportable.”

These trace amounts are consistent with incidental cross-contamination that can occur when meat from different species are processed on the same production line. The trace amounts of pig and horse do not explain the source of the pentobarbital-adulterated meat in the Hunk of Beef and Against the Grain dog foods.

The investigation so far

In a Feb. 17 consumer advisory, the FDA cautioned the public not to feed the recalled Evanger’s and Against the Grain canned dog food products to their pets. The products in question were recalled on Feb. 3 and Feb. 9 by Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company Inc. and Against the Grain, respectively, after pentobarbital was confirmed in samples of both products.

In conjunction with the advisory, FDA released two Form 483 Inspectional Observation reports. The reports detailed the conditions found by inspectors during visits to Evanger’s production facility in Wheeling, IL, and to the facility belonging to Nutripack LLC in Markham, IL.

On Feb. 21, Evanger’s notified its customers that the company was planning to expand the recall of Evanger’s and Against the Grain pet foods to include all outstanding production of Hunk of Beef, Braised Beef Chunks with Gravy, and Against the Grain Pulled Beef. Company officials told FDA they expect to release the official announcement of the expanded recall by the end of this week.

Kosher for animal use

In addition to marketing its pet foods as “human grade” and made with “USDA-inspected meats,” Evanger’s, citing an endorsement from the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc), promotes many of its products as “Kosher for Animal Use.”

A spokesperson for the cRc said the endorsement doesn’t mean the pet food is kosher in the traditional sense, but does mean certain expectations are met.

“When we provide a kosher endorsement we expect not only that all kosher laws are observed, but that the company acts in an ethical manner. While we cannot comment directly on this incident, we call upon all companies to maintain the highest standards of business,” the cRc spokesperson explained.

“Also, please be aware that Evanger’s’ products are NOT kosher in the regular sense. It is not kosher to consume, for anyone that observes kosher. It is endorsed by the cRc to feed it to one’s pet. Now animals of kosher observant individuals are not required to observe kosher — or any other commandment.

“The issue, and reason for the cRc endorsement, is that there are a few foods that not only may not be eaten by someone that is kosher observant, but one may also not derive any tangible benefit from them. An example would be leavened bread — Chometz — on Passover. It is those foods that a kosher observant person may not serve to their pets. The cRc endorses certain Evanger’s’ products that they are free from this concern, i.e. they do not contain any foods that a kosher observant person may not derive benefit from. It is for this reason that we do not allow Evanger’s to use the cRc standard kosher logo, to differentiate it from a standard kosher product.”

The cRc spokesperson further clarified that the presence of non-kosher species such as horse meat or pork would not be a concern in pet food.

Unanswered question

The FDA investigation into the Evanger’s case is still open and active. FDA has reviewed the customer list for the meat supplier and is in the process of following up as appropriate, according to a spokesperson.

While it may be comforting to the meat supplier’s other customers to learn that FDA found no deficiencies during the course of the recent inspection, the results leave a major question unanswered: Where did the pentobarbital-contaminated meat come from?

FDA continues to encourage consumers to report problems with Evanger’s products through the Safety Reporting Portal or by contacting a Consumer Complaint Coordinator. Please retain empty cans or partially used cans of food to facilitate collection of specific lot number information. Additional information is available on the FDA web page, How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.

This article first appeared on Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.