Update 3/2/17:
When word spread that certain products from a popular dog food company had been exposed to the euthanasia drug, Pentobarbital the question on everyone’s lips was ‘What is being done to ensure this never happens again?’
Today the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released an update and a Q & A session in an attempt to address consumer concerns.
Follow the links if you’d like to view the full documents. The information will be summarized in this post.
The FDA discussed their investigation into Evanger’s production facilities that began on January 10 and concluded on February 14. They discovered that the company’s supplier of “inedible hand deboned beef” (further identified as “for pet food use only, not fit for human consumption”) does not have a grant from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service.
The investigation into Evanger’s level of compliance with regulations is ongoing and the FDA refused to comment about potential action that may be taken against the company. A separate investigation into Evanger’s meat supplier concluded that they “appear to have systems in place to ensure that euthanized animals are kept segregated from animal protein going for animal food use.”
Finally, the FDA confirmed that there is no acceptable level of Pentobarbital in pet food and that it is ultimately the manufacturer’s responsibility to take steps to ensure that the food they produce is safe.
The complete list of recalled Evanger’s canned dog food – including item numbers and expiration dates – can be found below in the original post.
Original Post:
Earlier this month, Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company, Inc. announced a voluntary recall on one specific flavor of canned dog food after learning that certain batches had possibly been contaminated with the euthanasia drug, Pentobarbital. That recall has now been expanded to include two additional canned diets.
The initial contamination came to light after four Pugs owned by Nikki Mael fell ill on New Year’s Eve after ingesting Evanger’s Hunks of Beef Canned Dog Food. Three survived with treatment, but sadly one sweet pooch named Talula passed away.
The company took action, recalling all canned Hunks of Beef food produced at their factory during the same week as the contaminated cans. No additional cases of illness have been reported, but Evanger’s announced this week that they have expanded the recall to include Braised Beef and Against the Grain Pulled Beef Canned Diets.
You can read the company’s most recent statement here for more information on how the contamination occurred.
What’s Recalled:
- Evanger’s Hunk of Beef
12 ounce can
Item #776155 - Evanger’s: Braised Beef
12 ounce can
Item #776150 - Against the Grain Pulled Beef
12 ounce can
Item #776107
The three recalled products were manufactured between December 2015 and January 2017, and have expiration dates of December 2019 through January 2021. The products were distributed online and through independent pet stores nationwide.
What to Do if You Have Recalled Product:
Consumers in possession of affected product should return the cans or cases to the retailer where they were purchased for a full refund.
Retailers will be returning any affected product to their distributors, who are then required to quarantine it to prevent any further sales.
Consumers with questions are asked to contact Evanger’s at 847-537-0102. U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area. Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
H/T to DogFoodAdvisor.com
Photos via EvangersDogFood.com
