August 19, 2021 – Food and Drug Administration Issue a public warning Tuesday about tainted pet food sold by Midwestern Pet Foods, which could be linked to more than 220 illnesses and 130 deaths in dogs and cats.
During an inspection of the company’s plant in Chikasha, Oklahoma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that samples of SPORTMiX high energy dog food contained high levels of aflatoxin, which is produced by musty It can grow on grains used in pet food. High levels of aflatoxins can cause illness and death in pets.
After examining the Chickasha plant, the Food and Drug Administration also inspected the company’s other plants in New York, Indiana and Illinois, which showed evidence of problems at all locations. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter To the company that last week requested a response within 15 business days outlining the specific steps taken to correct the issues.
“We are issuing a company-wide letter of warning because inspections of the manufacturing plants of Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. have revealed evidence of abuse, which has been shared across multiple factories and that has been linked to the illness or death of hundreds of pets that have eaten hundreds of pets,” said Stephen Solomon, MD, director of the Center for Medicine The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s veterinarian, in a statement.
“It is imperative that pet food manufacturers and distributors understand their responsibility to comply with all requirements of federal law and FDA regulations,” he said.
Some samples of SPORTMiX-branded pet food, which included various products and batch codes, contained levels of aflatoxin as high as 558 parts per billion. The Food and Drug Administration considers pet food to be contaminated if it contains more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin.
And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in January, the company voluntarily recalled these products, as well as all corn-containing pet foods made at the Chikacha factory.
In March, the company also pulled several brands of pet food made at its Monmouth, Illinois factory, after testing positive. salmonellaIncluding some SPORTMiX and Earthborn cat foods.
“The Food and Drug Administration has found that the Midwest Food Safety Program appears insufficient to significantly reduce or prevent salmonella in pet food,” according to an FDA statement. None of the recalled products should be available for consumers to purchase.