FDA Announces Recall of Pet Food Sold in 10 States

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of a pet food sold in 10 states on Tuesday.

The 10-ounce bags have lot code C25288 printed on them and a Best Buy Date of Oct. 15, 2027.

The potential deficiency was brought to the company’s attention after it received a report of illness potentially associated with the product.

“Product from the affected lot was submitted for testing by the treating veterinarian, and results indicated thiamine (B1) levels below the required amounts for a feline diet,” the FDA said. “The company conducted additional testing and determined that the lot may not meet thiamine requirements.”

The withdrawn product was sold in retail stores in Colorado, Utah, Washington state, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, California, Texas, and Illinois.

The FDA said that over time, cats fed diets low in thiamine may be at risk of developing thiamine deficiency.

Thiamine is essential for cats’ diets, and deficiency symptoms can be gastrointestinal or neurological.

“Early signs of thiamine deficiency may include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting, failure to grow, and weight loss,” the FDA said.

What’s interesting to Source86 food safety and quality professional Vanessa Balagot is that the recall was not about contamination, but nutrition.

“It is a good reminder that food safety is not just about bacteria,” Balagot told NTD. “It is also about making sure products actually contain what they are supposed to.”

The fact that the cat food was below standard in thiamine levels shows that something in the formulation, ingredient handling, or manufacturing process didn’t meet the product’s nutritional specifications, Balagot said.

“This could point to a gap in the checks that are meant to confirm the product is hitting its nutrition targets, which is why routine testing and verification are so important,” she said. “Recalls don’t automatically mean a company doesn’t care; they mean an issue was detected and action was taken to prevent a bigger risk.”

The recall applied to cooked frozen dog food distributed at neighborhood pet stores regionally in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, as well as in Ontario, Canada.

“People should know that pet food is produced under food safety and quality systems just like human food, and companies are expected to follow strict controls,” Balagot said.