FDA Alert: Darwin’s Natural Selections Cat Food Lots Test Positive for Salmonella

• Darwin's Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain Free Chicken Recipe for Cats, Lot 9116, manufactured on May 2, 2022.
• Darwin's Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain Free Turkey Recipe for Cats, Lot 9121, manufactured on May 4, 2022.
• The products are sold in white and clear plastic packages with blue and green labeling. Each pack weighs two pounds and consists of four separate units. The lot codes are on the front lower left unit of the package.
• If you have these lots of Darwin's Natural Pet Food, or you can't be sure of the lot code of the products you have, throw them away. Do not feed them to your pets.
• The FDA is issuing this alert because these lots of Darwin's Natural Pet Products cat food represent a serious threat to human and animal health.
• Salmonella can affect both human and animal health. People with symptoms of Salmonella infection should consult their health care providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of Salmonella infection.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed their pets two lots of Darwin's Natural Pet Food because products from these lots tested positive for Salmonella.

These products are Darwin's Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain Free Chicken Recipe for Cats, Lot 9116, manufactured on May 2, 2022; and Darwin's Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain Free Turkey Recipe for Cats, Lot 9121, manufactured on May 4, 2022. These products are manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin's Natural Pet Products, and are sold online direct to consumers.

The FDA collected and analyzed unopened samples of products from these two lots after receiving a report of illness in three kittens in a single household that had consumed the food and developed diarrhea. A stool sample from one of the kittens tested positive for Salmonella. A fourth kitten did not eat the food and did not become sick.

Whole genome sequencing of the Salmonella in the two products revealed that the turkey product contained Salmonella Typhimurium, while the chicken product contained Salmonella Typhimurium and Kentucky.

The FDA is issuing this alert because these two lots of Darwin's Natural Pet Products cat food represent a serious threat to human and animal health. Because these products are sold and stored frozen, the FDA is concerned that people may still have them in their possession and feed them to their pets.

The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance Inc. voluntarily recall these products and notify the public but, as of August 5, 2022, the company has not done so. Darwin's has posted a statement that notes the following:

We believe the FDA's request is wholly unnecessary; there are no pet health risks to address. We also believe the FDA's request is based on flawed regulatory decision-making and have taken steps to make our position clear with the agency.

Several months ago, a consumer's young kittens ate from an adult cat's bowl that contained a portion of raw food; afterward the kittens had diarrhea. When the individual contacted our customer service team, we reminded them that we – and health experts across the industry recommend cooking raw pet food before feeding it to kittens under 4 months old. We also advised the consumer to dispose of the remaining food and we issued a full refund. The kittens did not experience any other health issues and did not require further veterinary care. The adult cat never developed any adverse effects.

We have not received any complaints from other customers who received products from the same lot number. All of the product lots in question were shipped months ago direct to our consumers, and we believe the food has been consumed

By: Pet Age