Food Safety News – The Food and Drug Administration has updated the number of pet deaths to 110 in connection to fatal levels of aflatoxin in Midwestern Pet Foods Inc.’s recalled dog and cat food products.
In addition to the deaths there are more than 210 pets that are sick after eating Sportmix pet food.
The update comes after multiple Midwestern Pet Foods Inc.’s recalls of dog and cat food products after tests showed levels of aflatoxin that exceed acceptable limits.
The pet deaths are associated with lots of Sportmix High Energy. No human illnesses have been reported.
Evansville, IN-based Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. expanded their initial product recall on Jan. 11 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.
The recalled pet foods were distributed nationally to online distributors and retail stores.
Aflatoxin is a poison produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in animal and human food.
At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets, as wells as illness in people who are sensitive to the mold.
If a pet shows signs of aflatoxin poisoning including sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage, and/or diarrhea, owners should contact a veterinarian immediately.
Provide a full diet history to the veterinarian. Take unused pet to in with you. It may also be helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.
Lot code information may be found on the back of the bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in the format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH: MM”. More than 1,000 lot codes are affected.
Retailers and distributors should immediately pull recalled lots from their inventory and shelves. Do not sell or donate the recalled products.
If they have the means, retailers are encouraged to contact consumers who have purchased the recalled products if they have the means to do so.
Anyone who has purchased the recalled products should not feed them to their pets or other animals. Destroy the products in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access them. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers.
Recalled products:
More than 1,000 lot codes are affected, so they are not listed individually.
- 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”.
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