“This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.”
The FDA has issued a warning to pet owners feeding 3 varieties of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products’ Natural Selections raw dog food due to the presence of Salmonella.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets three lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Food because products from these lots tested positive for Salmonella. These products are manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., and are sold online direct to consumers.
The FDA collected and analyzed unopened samples of products from these three lots in response to a consumer complaint. Samples from all three lots tested positive for Salmonella.
Recalled products include:
- Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5309(11)181019, manufactured on October 19, 2018
- Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5375(11)181106, manufactured on November 11, 2018
- Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs: 5339(11)181026, manufactured on October 26, 2018
The FDA considers the actions taken by Arrow Reliance (d/b/a Darwin’s Natural Pet Products) to remove violative product from the marketplace to meet the regulatory definition of a recall. However, the firm has not issued public notification, and the FDA is not confident that the firm’s customer notifications are effective for this ongoing recall. The FDA continues to work with Arrow Reliance on recalling the remaining products from these lots.
If you have Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (5309(11)181019 and 5375(11)181106) or Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Turkey Recipe with Organic Vegetables for Dogs (5339(11)181026), stop feeding it to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it.
Consumers who have had this product in their homes should clean refrigerators/freezers where the product was stored and clean and disinfect all bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with. Clean up the pet’s feces in yards or parks where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the recalled product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces.
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause illness and death in humans and animals, especially those who are very young, very old, or have weak immune systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), people infected with Salmonella can develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Most people recover without treatment, but in some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and then to other body sites unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. Consult your health care provider if you have symptoms of Salmonella infection.
Pets do not always display symptoms when infected with Salmonella, but signs can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, loss of appetite and/or decreased activity level. If your pet has these symptoms, consult a veterinarian promptly. You should also be aware that infected pets can shed the bacteria in their feces without showing signs of being sick.
Darwin’s responded to the FDA’s public warning with the following statement to customers:
Today the FDA issued a public warning regarding three lots of Darwin’s poultry meals for dogs produced last fall, which were delivered to customers back in November and early December 2018. These are the same lots which we alerted customers about via email last month.
We’re disappointed in the FDA’s decision to issue a public warning. We think this warning is unnecessary, as we are confident these meals have been completely consumed without incident. We have contacted the customers who received the meals and have not received any medical reports of illnesses to pets or humans attributable to these meals. As we have shared with our customers before, we believe that at no time did these meals pose any danger to either humans or pets.
We believe that the FDA chose to issue this warning not out of any concern for human or pet health, but in retaliation for our refusal to agree to their demands to provide them with our customers’ confidential contact information. When we informed them that to do so would violate the terms of our privacy policy, they threatened to issue a public warning to pressure us into doing so. When we refused this request, the FDA gave us an ultimatum. Subsequently, they retaliated by issuing their warning.
We remain fully confident these meals are safe, and until now have cooperated with the FDA on every request they have made on this matter. We did this even though the FDA failed to provide samples for us to verify their test results independently, as they are required to do by law.
Darwin’s privacy policy is to protect our customers’ personal information, and it precludes us from sharing it with third parties without permission. Although we were willing to reach out to customers and ask for permission to provide their contact information to the FDA, the FDA would not accept that approach.
This warning is not a recall. We’ve shared with you many times in the past why our meals are safe, starting with the high-quality sourcing of our ingredients and the steps we take to control pathogens such as Salmonella.
We are not certain why the FDA has found it necessary to issue a warning, especially after we have worked closely with them. We are disappointed they only did this after our refusal to provide customers’ personal information to them. We remain committed to providing safe, healthy, nutritious meals for your pets. As always, we appreciate your continued patronage and your support of our mission.
If you have any questions for on this, please feel free to contact us at 877-738-6325 or [email protected].
