Pet Food Recalls Dramatically Drop Over The Last Few Years – Truth about Pet Food

June 29, 2023 Kar-Bay-Inc

No one wants to see a recall. But, when we do – at the very least we know that someone is paying attention to the products our pets depend on, someone is making the effort to get dangerous pet products removed from store shelves. Mistakes happen, proper testing is commonly not performed, manufacturer safety procedures are often ignored. Recalls happen.

Well, they used to happen.

In 2018, we saw 36 different pet food recalls. The causes of those recalls were: pathogenic bacteria, excess or insufficient vitamins or minerals, foreign objects, mold, aflatoxin, pentobarbital contamination, and excess thyroid hormone. In 2018 more than 93.5 million pounds of pet food/treats were recalled.

It is understandable that in 2020 – when most of the world was shut down because of the pandemic – that recalls in 2020 dropped down to only 7 pet food recalls.

In 2021 regulatory authorities seemed to be getting back to properly monitoring the pet food industry. During 2021, there were 15 recalls for a total of 66,902,082 pounds. All fifteen recalls were for just three different causes: Pathogenic bacteria, excess vitamin D, and aflatoxin.

But in 2022 we saw less than half of the recalls we saw in 2021. There were only 6 recalls, a small total of 136,175 pounds. There were only two causes for the recalls in 2022 – pathogenic bacteria and mislabeling.

And it seems to be even worse so far this year. For the first six months (almost) of 2023, there have only been 2 pet food recalls, two causes: excess Vitamin D and mislabeling, for a total of 331,878 pounds.

So what is happening? Is the FDA not properly monitoring the pet food industry? Or are pet owners not reporting suspect pet illness to FDA – perhaps instead only reporting sick pets to manufacturers who are keeping the complaints quiet?

Unfortunately we do not know why there have been so few recalls over the past couple of years.

The only thing pet owners can do is to keep a careful eye on our pets. If your pet became ill you believe is linked to a pet food – report it to the FDA first, your state Department of Agriculture second, the manufacturer last. Regulatory might not investigate it, but when a pet food/treat adverse event is reported to federal or state government it becomes an official record. When a pet food/treat adverse event is only reported to the manufacturer, it can become a hidden secret.

For more information on how to report a sick pet to FDA or State authority, Click Here.

We have sent the FDA questions regarding the significant drop in pet food recalls. It is unlikely the agency will provide us with any explanation. However, if they do it will be shared with pet owners.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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