Midwestern Pet Foods Voluntarily Expands Recall of Pet Food for Aflatoxin Health Risk - 1/13/21

 

Company Announcement Date:

January 11, 2021

FDA Publish Date:

January 11, 2021

Product Type:

Animal & Veterinary
Food & Beverages
Pet Food

Reason for Announcement:

Aflatoxin Levels Exceed Acceptable Levels

Company Name:

Midwestern Pet Foods Inc.

Brand Name:

Sportmix, Nunn Better, ProPac, and Others

Product Description:

Dog and Cat Pet Food

Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc., of Evansville, IN is expanding its December 30, 2020 voluntary recall of certain dog and cat food products produced in our Chickasha Operations Facility to include all dog and cat pet food products made with corn products because those products may contain aflatoxin levels which exceed acceptable limits. Products were distributed nationally to online distributors and retail stores nationwide. Midwestern Pet Foods is expanding its voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution to help protect the health and safety of pets. The products recalled cover all that expire on or before July 9, 2022, depicted as “07/09/22” in the date code on the product, as discussed below. Products with expiration dates after 07/09/22 are not included in the recall.

Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.

There have been reports of illnesses and deaths in dogs associated with certain lots of products. No human illnesses have been reported. Out of an abundance of caution, we have expanded this recall to cover all corn products containing pet foods with expiration dates prior to 07/09/22.

If your pet shows signs of aflatoxin poisoning including sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. It may be helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number and best buy date.

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”.

As explained above, this recall covers ONLY product manufactured at Midwestern Pet Food’s Chickasha, Oklahoma facility. Note that the unique Chickasha Facility identifier is located in the date code as a
“05” and “REG. OK‐PFO‐0005” at the end of the date code.

In addition, the only Midwestern Pet Foods facility that produces product bearing a three‐line date code is our Chickasha Facility (See first image below).

Retailers and distributors should immediately pull recalled lots from their inventory and shelves. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Retailers are encouraged to contact consumers who have purchased the recalled products, if you have the means to do so (frequent buyer cards, etc.).

Pet parents: do not feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animals. Destroy the food in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize hands after handling recalled food or any utensils which have contacted recalled food. 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 info@midwesternpetfoods.com for additional information.

This voluntary recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All other Midwestern Pet Foods products are unaffected by this recall action.

Recalled products are as follows, with lot codes found in Expanded Recall Lot Numbers:

 

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* We believe that none of the product being recalled were processed or offered through the national office
* We strongly encourage you to notify your agencies within one business day from receipt of this notice.
* ALL cased and uncased inventories, both at the member level and agency level, need to be checked. This product may have entered member and agency warehouses through salvage, local donations, TEFAP, local purchases, retail pickups, food drives, or other avenues.
* For additional local details, please contact the Health Department(s) for the area(s) your food bank serves.
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About Feeding America Recall Notices

The Feeding America national office issues notifications of all national Class I and II recalls–those involving a health hazard situation in which there is reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death–and other recalls that may affect the safety of food supplied to network members.

The national office strongly encourages all member product solicitors, operations managers, and others involved in food and grocery distribution to regularly consult resources provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp. Additionally, members can often receive information on national, state, and local recalls by contacting their local health departments.

Feeding America National Office
Feeding America
35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60601