Two More RECALL ALERTS: Honest Kitchen and Hy-Vee Dog Food

The Honest Kitchen, manufacturers of top-quality dehydrated raw dog foods are voluntarily recalling five lots of their Verve, Zeal and Thrive recipe dog foods because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Recalled lots of the food were produced between August and November of 2012 and were sold nationwide across the US and Canada. For specific Lot Numbers and product information, see the chart below.

The dehydrated foods contain fresh vegetables and leafy greens, including a batch of human-grade parsley that has been found to potentially be contaminated with the bacteria. The Honest Kitchen is taking steps to ensure their products are completely safe moving forward. See the letter from their president below, detailing The Honest Kitchen’s efforts to keep their products and our pets safe in the future.

The following notice was released by the Food & Drug Administration:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 21, 2013 – The Honest Kitchen today announced that it is voluntarily recalling five lots of its Verve, Zeal and Thrive pet food products produced between August and November 2012 and sold nationwide in the US and Canada via retail stores, mail order and online after August 2012 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No other Honest Kitchen batches, production dates or products are affected.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The Company is taking this action after learning that one of its raw ingredients suppliers has recalled a batch of human-grade parsley that may contain Salmonella. The batch of parsley was shipped to the Company in 2012 and used in the production of five lots of finished Honest Kitchen products.

The Honest Kitchen regularly tests for Salmonella and other pathogens as part of its quality control process and has not received to date any reports of illness associated with these lots of products. Nonetheless, the Company is proceeding with this action in order to ensure the full safety and quality of its products.

“We are committed to providing the highest-quality human-grade food available to our customers’ pets,” said Lucy Postins, founder, CEO and CMO of The Honest Kitchen. “While our quality control tests did not find evidence of Salmonella in any of our finished products, we are accountable for everything we make, and are taking precautionary action to ensure the safety and integrity of our products.”

The lots being recalled are:

Item Code	Product Name	Production Date	Expiration Date	Size	Lot Number
V4 + VR	VERVE	8/20/12	8/20/13	4 lb. box, 10 lb. box	2332A (batches 1-3)
VR	VERVE	11/1/12	11/1/13	10 lb. box	3062A (batches 8 & 9)
TM	THRIVE	9/18/12	9/18/13	1 oz. sample	2622A (batch 3)
Z4 + ZR	ZEAL	8/14/12	8/14/13	4 lb. box, 10 lb. box	2272A (batches 1–5)
ZR	ZEAL	9/21/12	9/21/13	10 lb. box	2652A (batches 1–4)

Consumers who purchased the above lots of Honest Kitchen Verve, Zeal or Thrive products should stop feeding the products to their pets, remove the UPC (bar code) and lot code from the packaging, and discard the contents in a covered trash receptacle. Lot codes are located on the top of product boxes either adjacent to or opposite the UPC.

Consumers can receive a replacement or full refund of the MSRP of the affected products plus $1 to cover postage, by mailing the UPC and lot code along with a completed Reimbursement Form to The Honest Kitchen, 145 14th Street, San Diego, Calif. 92101, Attn: Reimbursements. All refunds will be processed within five business days (plus postage time).

The Honest Kitchen products use human-food grade ingredients. The Company’s products are made in a human food facility and held to the same high quality control standards as human food products. Employees taste products as part of the quality control and research & development processes.

To supplement its quality control processes while maintaining its commitment to gentle processing that protects natural nutrients, The Honest Kitchen is enacting additional procedures:

·         All dehydrated leafy greens will be steamed, to further protect against the possibility of Salmonella and other pathogens;

·         All leafy greens will receive a second test for pathogens after arrival at the Company’s manufacturing facility, in addition to the testing conducted internally by suppliers;

·         The Company has discontinued its relationship with the supplier who provided the parsley used in the production of the lots being recalled.

For questions or more information, contact The Honest Kitchen by phone at 1-866-437-9729 or email at info@thehonestkitchen.com. Customer service representatives will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST to respond to inquiries.

Additionally, The Honest Kitchen’s president, Lucy Postins, penned the following letter to consumers.

As for Hy-Vee Dog Food, the Hy-Vee brand dog food, manufactured by Pro-Pet, LLC, is voluntarily recalling 6 different labels of their Hy-Vee Complete Dog Foods stamped with three different “Best By” dates and distributed to Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin between October 26, 2012 and January 11, 2013.

The foods were found to contain higher than normal levels of aflatoxin, a chemical compound naturally produced by Apergillus flavus, a fungus known commonly to grow in certain grains like corn. Corn, a controversial dog food ingredient, is commonly used in lower-end dog foods because of its low cost to weight ratio. Pet parents can avoid aflatoxins by switching to a higher quality, grain-free dog food.

Aflatoxin poisoning in pets can result in lethargy, reluctance to eating, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, and/or diarrhea. If your dog currently eats Hy-Vee brand food and is experiencing any of the above symptoms, discontinue feeding immediately and take your dog to the veterinarian.

Because many dog food manufacturers use corn from the same farms and processors in their food, we are expecting that many other corn-based dog foods may be recalled in the near future. If your dog is eating a corn-based food, monitor his activity levels and keep an eye out for symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning. If possible, find a higher quality, meat-based food instead.

Hy-Vee Stores released the following notice to consumers:

Hy-Vee issues voluntary recall of certain dog food products
Routine testing identifies higher-than-normal contaminant levels in select products

WEST DES MOINES, IA – Hy-Vee, Inc. today issued a voluntary recall of certain bags of Hy-Vee dog food due to elevated levels of a chemical contaminant commonly found in corn.

Routine random tests conducted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture indicated higher-than-normal levels of aflatoxin in some samples of Hy-Vee dog food produced at a Kansas City plant operated by Pro-Pet, LLC.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring by-product from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities.  Pets which have consumed this product and exhibit symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should consultant a veterinarian.

The recalled products carry three different “Best By” dates and were distributed to Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin between October 26, 2012 and January 11, 2013.

The following products are subject to the recall:

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Complete Nutrition (Green Bag) – 34-lb.
UPC:  07545005647
Lot # ending with:    29812KC
“Best By” Date:    11/24/13

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Complete Nutrition (Green Bag) – 8-lb
UPC: 07545005667
Lot # ending with:    29812KC
“Best By” Date:    11/24/13

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Complete Nutrition (Green Bag) – 4.4-lb.
UPC: 07545005665
Lot # ending with:    29812KC
“Best By” Date:    11/24/13

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Complete Nutrition (Green Bag) – 4.4-lb.
UPC: 07545005665
Lot # ending with:    29912KC
“Best By” Date:    11/25/13

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Bites, Bones & Squares (Yellow Bag) – 20-lb.
UPC: 07545005680
Lot # ending with:    29312KC
“Best By” Date:    11/19/13

Hy-Vee Complete Dog – Bites, Bones & Squares (Yellow Bag) – 4.4-lb.
UPC: 07545005560
Lot # ending with:    29312KC
“Best By” Date:    11/19/13

The recall is limited to the products, sizes and code dates listed above. No other Hy-Vee dog food products or code dates are affected by the recall.

Customers are urged to check the “Best By” dates on any product they have at home and refrain from feeding any of the recalled products to their pets. Any bags of Hy-Vee dog food subject to the recall, whether opened or unopened, may be returned to Hy-Vee stores for a full refund.

Hy-Vee officials emphasized the recall is voluntary and only conducted as a precautionary measure. No illnesses have been reported in dogs consuming the product, and the product does not pose a health risk to humans handling it. Hy-Vee officials have also removed all potentially affected products from Hy-Vee stores.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 800-289-8343. This number is staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.

Keep your eyes open for more recall alerts to be announced in the future - we have a feeling that there will be a lot more to add to this list within the next few months. 

Keep your tails wagging

Bear's P4ws