FDA ALERT: Midwestern Pet Foods Recall Expanded, 110+ Dogs Dead, 210+ Sick, Sold in 36 Countries

A Midwestern Pet Foods recall including more than 1,000 Lot Codes of Sportmix, Pro Pac, and Nunn pet foods for both dogs and cats is now being suspected in the deaths of more than 110 dogs and illnesses of more than 210 additional pets across 36 countries.

On December 30, 2020, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. announced a recall of certain lots of Sportmix pet food products after FDA was alerted about reports of at least 28 dogs that died and eight that were ill after consuming the recalled Sportmix pet food. Multiple product samples were tested and found to contain very high levels of aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are toxins produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus and, at high levels, can cause illness and death in pets. The toxins can be present even if there is no visible mold.

On January 11, 2021, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. expanded the recall to include all pet foods containing corn and manufactured in the company’s Oklahoma plant, and having an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022. By January 11, the FDA had been made aware of more than 70 dogs dead and more than 80 that became sick after eating Sportmix pet food.

And, on January 21, 2021, the FDA announced that more than 110 dogs had died and more than 210 became sick after eating the recalled food manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. The FDA did state that not all of the cases have been officially confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review.

Now, the FDA has added a list of 35 countries in addition to the United States to which Midwestern Pet Foods may have exported the recalled products. Those countries are: Bahrain, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Polynesia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Singapore, Taiwan, Trinidad, Ukraine, UAE, Uruguay, and Vietnam.

The most up-to-date list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. is below:

The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. on December 30, 2020 is:

• Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
  • Exp 03/02/22/05/L2
  • Exp 03/02/22/05/L3
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag 
• Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L2
  • Exp 03/03/22/05/L3

On January 11, 2021, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. expanded the recall to include all pet food products containing corn that were made in the firm’s Oklahoma plant and that expire on or before July 9, 2022. More than 1000 lot codes are affected so they are not listed individually. 

Lots of the following pet food products have been recalled if the date/lot code includes an expiration date on or before “07/09/22” and includes “05” in the date/lot code, which identifies products made in the Oklahoma plant:

• Pro Pac Adult Mini Chunk, 40 lb. bag 
• Pro Pac Performance Puppy, 40 lb. bag 
• Splash Fat Cat 32%, 50 lb. bag 
• Nunn Better Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag
• Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag
• Sportmix Maintenance, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Maintenance, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Protein, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Stamina, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix Stamina, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Bite Size, 40 lb. bag
• Sportmix Bite Size, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Energy, 44 lb. bag
• Sportmix High Energy, 50 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium Puppy, 16.5 lb. bag
• Sportmix Premium Puppy, 33 lb. bag

Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”

If you have one of the products listed above, but do not know the lot code or expiration date, FDA recommends that you stop feeding the product.

Pets with aflatoxin poisoning may experience symptoms such as sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea. In some cases, this toxicity can cause long-term liver issues and/or death. Some pets suffer liver damage without showing any symptoms. Pet owners whose pets have been eating the recalled products should contact a veterinarian, especially if they are showing signs of illness.

If your pet has symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning, contact a veterinarian immediately. Even pets without symptoms may have suffered liver damage, so you may want to contact your veterinarian if your pet has eaten any of the recalled products. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. You may find it helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.

Don’t feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animal. Contact the company listed on the package for further instructions or throw the products away in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them. Sanitize pet food bowls, scoops, and storage containers using bleach, rinsing well afterwards with water, and drying thoroughly.

Contact Midwestern Pet Foods Consumer Affairs at 800-474-4163, ext. 455 from 7AM to 4PM Central Time, Monday through Friday, or by email at [email protected] for more information.

In addition to the recalled product lines, Midwestern Pet Foods also manufactures Earthborn Holistic.