Blog The raw truth about recalls in the pet food industry.
Let’s face it, recalls can be scary. As a consumer of edible goods, learning that a food product you’ve purchased has been recalled probably sparks concern. And this makes perfect sense because there could be a possibility that the product may actually be harmful. But the reality about recalls in the food industry – whether human food or pet food – isn’t always as scary as we may think.
What is a recall and why do they happen?
Let’s start with the basics. In the food industry, a recall occurs when a company takes a product off the market – either voluntarily or at the government’s request or requirement – because there is reason to believe that the product may cause harm to the consumer. This could happen for many reasons such as the suspicion or discovery of bacterial contamination, or a foreign material like metal fragments were found within a product, or a product was mislabeled.
It is important to note that many recalls occur out of an abundance of caution, not necessarily because any illnesses were directly linked with the product(s) being recalled or because there is certainty around the justification for the recall.
FDA vs USDA – Who is regulating what?
This is where things can get a bit more confusing. In the US, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share the responsibility of overseeing and regulating the nation’s food supply – both human and animal food. But the lines dividing that responsibility are not always incredibly clear, and sometimes the distinction between which organization takes the lead comes down to how the food is processed. For example, the USDA is the primary agency responsible for regulating meat (including beef, pork, lamb, and poultry), but once that meat is processed into animal feed, that’s when the FDA steps in. So while the majority of our products are comprised of raw meat, the FDA is the regulatory body that is responsible for overseeing our business and the safety of our products. This distinction is important because the USDA and the FDA have very different regulatory standards – the FDA has a zero-tolerance policy around bacteria and meat, while the USDA is more lenient. If this has you raising an eyebrow, you’re not alone.
What separates a trustworthy company from the rest when it comes to recalls?
When working with all food, especially ready-to-eat truly raw meat and animal parts, recalls are going to happen—they come with the territory. Many consumers look at recalls in the food industry as damaging events that prove that a brand is unsafe, but this is not true across the board. A recall does not automatically signal that a company or its products are unsafe; this depends on a variety of factors.
Communication and transparency.
What’s critical to pay attention to when it comes to recalls is the way a company responds when a recall does happen, the action that they take and the level of transparency they provide to their customers, and what safety protocols they have in place to mitigate them from occurring. A good recall plan is what separates trustworthy brands from those that you should be cautious of.
Traceability and food safety at Carnos.
At Carnos, we take traceability and food safety extremely seriously and because of this, we take a very detailed and intentional approach when it comes to recalls. If a product is recalled, we are able to trace individual product ingredients from your pet’s bowl all the way back to the original source. We are able to provide full, end-to-end product traceability by lot-coding (more on this below) each individual ingredient, packaging material, and finished product.
Why is traceability important when it comes to recalls?
In order to successfully manage a recall, companies need to be able to identify and communicate with their customers who have purchased the product(s) that have been recalled. They also need to be able to identify exactly which specific items are included in the recall – we’re talking every single one. If they can’t track the potentially contaminated products, and they can’t identify which of their customers are in possession of those products, that’s a recipe for disaster.
The Carnos recall plan.
At Carnos, if a recall happens, our team will utilize our unique and detailed lot coding system to quickly identify and inform customers who are in possession of the recalled food, trace the ingredient back to its source, and quarantine any remaining adulterated product or ingredient at our facilities, all within two hours. Transparent communication with our customers is always a priority for us. From there comes the investigation process where our trained and certified Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) team will determine the root cause of the recall and implement corrective actions. This process helps manage the wellbeing of fur-families that rely on us for a safe product.
Recalls are not limited to raw pet food.
Bacteria does not discriminate and all food – whether pet food or human food – is susceptible to contamination, including kibble. While there have been recalls of raw pet food over the years, there have also been recalls of kibble and canned pet foods. This may come as a surprise because the high heat processing that is involved in making kibble is meant to eliminate pathogens, but no “kill step” – including high-pressure pasteurization (HPP) – is 100% guaranteed to zap all the potentially bad stuff. Additionally, the long-term storage of kibble, whether in opened or unopened bags/containers, can increase the risk of the food developing bacterial pathogens, rancid fats, and mycotoxins.
It’s important to remember that raw dog food is not inherently unsafe.
Despite what you may hear in marketing scare tactics, raw dog food is not inherently unsafe for either you or your pet. For starters, armed with highly acidic stomachs and enzymes in their digestive tracts specialized to break down and eliminate bacteria, healthy dogs are biologically suited to raw diets and are not affected by pathogens in the way that humans would be.
That said, a frequent complaint about consumers’ options when it comes to raw pet food is that the quality of raw commercial pet food does not align with the standards that meat for human consumption must meet. At Carnos, we use only high-quality meat that is USDA approved for human consumption. We manufacture all of our food in-house which gives us full control over the quality of every ingredient and enables us to be meticulous about the way in which our food is processed. Additionally, we do not utilize any HPP or high-heat processing when manufacturing our food as those methods kill beneficial bacteria that your dog needs for a healthy gut microbiome, destroy enzymes that are essential for healthy digestion, and alter the naturally occurring nutrients in whole foods. We go the extra mile to ensure that your pet has the best – whole, human-grade ingredients, no fillers, no by-products, no preservatives, no harmful processing practices – truly raw.
And when it comes to your safety, the same precautions that you take when handling raw food meant for your human family should be taken when handling raw food for your furry family.
What to do as a consumer if pet food you’ve purchased has been recalled.
For starters, don’t panic. Ideally you would have been made aware of a recall directly by the company and received detailed information about the product(s) under investigation prior to any public announcement (see above re. trustworthy companies) but this, unfortunately, is not always the case. If you’ve heard about a recall from the news or social media and believe you had purchased or are in possession of the recalled food item, stop feeding this product immediately and get in touch with the company you purchased the food from.
Want to know more? Let’s chat!
We hope this information has helped to shed some light on the truth about recalls in the pet food world but if you still have questions or would like to know more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!