Understanding Pet Food Recalls and What They Mean for Your Pet

Recalls are a longstanding reality in the world of consumable products, including pet food. With improved detection systems and faster communication, brands and consumers are more connected and aware when something goes wrong. In fact, they are now reaching the public faster than ever before.

The impact of these recalls is real and personal. For consumers, recalls can feel like instability in something that should be simple, such as safely feeding a pet. It can lead to hesitation or loss of trust in brands that have been fed for years.

For pets, the consequences can be serious, ranging from mild illness to severe injury or worse. For brands, a recall is a critical safety event that triggers investigation and operational stress as soon as an issue is identified. And so begins the ripple effect.

This Year’s Recalls So Far

Several recalls have already happened this year across various product types and causes, with nutritional concerns and microbial risks being the most common.

In February, one recall was driven by a nutritional concern. Go Raw LLC issued a voluntary recall of its frozen Quest Cat Food Chicken Recipe due to potentially low levels of thiamine, or vitamin B1. Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin, and its values tend to fluctuate during processing and storage. It is a critical nutrient for cats for proper neurological function, with clinical signs being reported within just two weeks of inadequate intake. Although onset can be sudden, signs of thiamine deficiency vary widely. Early symptoms often include gastrointestinal issues like vomiting, followed by a range of neurologic, ocular, and cardiac complications.

That same month, Elite Treats issued a recall due to potential Salmonella contamination of the treats. While dogs may not always show clinical signs of a Salmonella infection and can even act as asymptomatic carriers, the risk to humans is significant. Salmonella remains one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in people, and transmission can occur through handling contaminated pet food or contact with infected animals. This makes these recalls as much of a human health concern as a pet health concern. Another brand, Young Again Pet Food, also issued a voluntary recall due to Salmonella concerns, causing more than 4,000 pounds of dry dog food to be pulled from the market.

There have also been recalls tied to nutrient variability, including certain canine milk replacers that have been found to have inconsistent levels of vitamin D; some products are high and some are low when compared to their intended amount. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that, unlike vitamin B1, it cannot be readily excreted in the urine if excess is absorbed. Additionally, as you may know, humans can synthesize vitamin D through sunlight exposure; dogs and cats cannot and therefore must obtain it from their daily diet. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which defines the nutrient profiles and standards in pet food, has a defined minimum and maximum requirement for vitamin D for both cats and dogs. This means it is a necessary nutrient for their health, but the amount consumed daily must be controlled.

Looking at the most recent recalls in May of this year, we have seen two recalls within the raw pet food category. We saw another recall involving a potential Salmonella contamination in Albright’s Chicken Recipe for Dogs. The other involving Raaw Energy, with concerns related to Listeria contamination. While Listeria monocytogenes rarely causes clinical disease in dogs and cats, pets can become carriers after consuming contaminated food and may shed the bacteria, posing a potential serious risk within the home environment.

How Recalls Happen

So, how does a recall actually start?

Recalls can be called for a majority of reasons: poor raw material and handling, production environment, formulation errors, ingredient variability (as some ingredients have higher variability, like certain fish species), or due to the product not meeting label claims. Every recall carries risk for pets, and that can shake confidence in what is being fed.

Many recalls are voluntary, initiated by the brand itself after internal testing, quality checks, or consumer feedback identified a potential issue. In these cases, companies act quickly to remove affected products. Recalls can also be requested by state regulators through routine product testing or reported adverse effects and concerns from pet owners or people using the product.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to enforce mandatory recalls under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Recalls are categorized by the FDA depending on the severity of the situation:

• Class I recall: a serious health risk
• Class II recall: may cause temporary or medically reversible health effects
• Class II recall: not likely to cause adverse health effects
• Market withdrawal: minor violation corrected or removed voluntarily; no FDA legal action required

At the end of the day, recalls can happen with any product and can potentially affect anyone. What matters is how the company responds and what actions it takes. Transparency plays an important role throughout the process ensuring accountability and clear communication so consumers know their next steps.

What Can We Do?

For consumers, the impact of a recall doesn’t end once the product is discarded or pulled from shelves. Trust can be hard to rebuild. A 2025 survey conducted by GS1 US showed that 59% of consumers reported a hesitation to repurchase a brand or product after there had been a recall; the numbers were higher when looking at Millennials (65%) and Gen Z (64%) in comparison to Baby Boomers (53%). Yet, across all age groups, there is a greater than 50% hesitation to repurchase.

When in doubt, call the brand’s customer service line for nutritional information, recalls, and testing results. They should be willing to share what process controls they have in place to ensuretheir food is what it’s intended to be.

Potential questions to ask are:

• What testing is done on finished products?
• How is ingredient quality checked?
• How do they confirm nutritional accuracy?
• What controls are in place to prevent contamination?

Clear answers to these questions are a sign that a brand is paying attention to safety and consistency. For those who experience an issue with any brand, concerns can also be reported directly to the FDA in addition to the customer service line.

Prevention is the Goal

Prevention starts with strong systems. This includes validating ingredients, monitoring suppliers, confirming formulations, and testing finished products before they reach a pet’s bowl. When these systems are in place and working together, risk is reduced and confidence can be built over time.

At the end of the day, this is about the pet’s safety and consumer trust in what they are feeding. Brands are responsible for building and maintaining their processes, and consumers should expect nothing less.

This is where BSM Partners can fit in. Through a structured food safety, quality, and regulatory framework and with experts spanning nutrition and innovation, veterinary medicine, engineering, manufacturing, packaging, branding, and strategy, we work with brands to identify risk points, from ideation to production to that finish meal in the bowl.

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About the Author

Anna Guilfoyle is a Product Innovation Analyst at BSM Partners. She earned her bachelor's degree in Animal Science with a minor in Pet Food Science from Kansas State University. During her undergraduate studies, Anna supported research in animal welfare and completed coursework in food safety, product development, and pet food processing. She also holds a PCQI certification in human food production.

She has internship experience in companion animal nutrition including formulation and production support across various product types. Anna enjoys blending creativity with science to support innovation within the industry. She is passionate about improving the well-being of animals and has cared for a wide range of species from companion animals to production animals.