PSA to pet owners: Check your furball’s food bowl ASAP.
Evansville, Indiana-based Midwestern Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall of dozens of dog and cat foods which are believed to possibly be contaminated with the bacteria salmonella, the company announced on March 26, according to a Food and Drug Administration alert.
While no human or pet illnesses have been reported to date regarding the recalled products, which were distributed to stores and online retailers nationwide, Pet Foods is requesting all potential product buyers to check the lot code information on the back of product bags as a precaution.
The full list of recalled products is featured in the FDA post, which includes brands such as Earthborn Holistic Wild Sea Catch, Pro Pac Performance Puppy and Sportmix Original Cat.
All products in question were manufactured at the company’s Midwestern Pet Foods Monmouth, Illinois facility, identified in product date codes with the letter “M.”
Should healthy humans handle or ingest salmonella after consuming or handling the products, they may experience nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, cramping, fever or — on rare occasion — more serious symptoms, including muscle pain and eye irritation. Should animals eat salmonella-infected product, they may become lethargic, feverish, begin vomiting or experience diarrhea, decreased appetite and abdominal pain. They may also infect other animals or humans.
Customers who discover they did in fact purchase the recalled products are instructed to “destroy the food in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them,” instructs the FDA post. “Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with recalled food.
For additional information, Midwestern Pet Foods encourages buyers to contact their consumer affairs department.
This is not Midwestern Pet Foods’ first recall of 2021: The company was also forced to recall various products in January, following the deaths of 70 dogs.