Over a period of 14 months, Darwin’s Natural Pet Products quietly pulled more than 23 tons of dog and cat food from circulation, and it all happened without a whisper of media coverage.

It’s only the latest example of “silent recalls” that are becoming increasingly common as pet food companies seek to avoid the negative publicity that often surrounds the news.

On Dec. 8, 2017, Petful learned that Darwin’s was recalling some of its Natural Selections dog food because of the potential for salmonella and listeria contamination. A company spokesman, reached by phone at the time, told us the recall had followed positive testing for salmonella from the FDA. He said “only about 2,000 customers” were affected.

Yet that December 2017 recall was only part of the story.

The Full Story: 23 Tons

It turns out that the manufacturer, Arrow Reliance Inc., had quietly issued a number of other recalls since October 2016, involving more than 23 tons of dog and cat food in total, according to a shocking report from Food Safety News suggesting ongoing problems with Darwin’s pet food.

“Customers who purchased the recalled products were notified of the recalls by email — two to three months after the production dates of each batch,” writer Phyllis Entis reported.

She added, “No recall notices were posted for the general public on the company’s website or the Food and Drug Administration’s website.”

Entis stated that Darwin’s had not responded to her requests for comment.

Her investigation turned up several consumer complaints of sick pets and “leaky, “off-color” packages of Darwin’s pet food over the past few months.

Don’t Miss: Complete Recall History for Darwin’s (Updated)

Silent Recalls: “A Sleazy Trick”

Consumer safety advocates have been sounding the alarm bells about the increasing number of “silent” or “phantom” recalls over the past decade.

What makes a recall silent? When the product is withdrawn without public notice. Usually that means only distributors or select stores are notified. The media often doesn’t hear anything about it. The manufacturer avoids public embarrassment and potential lawsuits.

But the public has every right to know when a product has been pulled from the market because of concerns about that product’s safety.

Mollie Morrissette, founder of Poisoned Pets and a consumer adviser to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), calls silent recalls “a sleazy trick” that marks the “kiss of death” for a pet food manufacturer’s reputation.

“They make a company look sneaky and dishonest,” she says.

She adds, “Pet food companies should know by now, when they behave badly, consumers will take to the internet and spread the message like wildfire.”

Her statements echo the thoughts of a commenter discussing silent pet food recalls 8 years ago, who said, “A good policy would be not to buy the company’s products because of their silent recall, to let everyone with pets know about the silent recall and why you will not purchase items from that company.”

We Just Want the Truth

Morrissette offers some no-nonsense, simple rules for pet food companies to follow if they discover defective products: “Notify the FDA, notify your outlets and notify your consumers.”

“If you can’t understand why these rules are critical, then maybe you’re in the wrong business,” she says.

The bottom line: We the consumers want the truth. If there’s a problem with your product, tell us. Then fix the problem, in a transparent way.

Subscribe to Our Pet Food Recall Alerts

If you were subscribed only to the FDA’s recall alerts, you might never have found out that 23 tons of Darwin’s pet food has been recalled over the past 14 months.

Why? Because you cannot find these recalls listed anywhere on the FDA’s website.

Outraged yet?

That’s why it’s so important to subscribe to a trusted third-party source like Petful. For years now, we have been keeping a watchful eye out for pet safety issues, and we send out timely email alerts that are saving pets’ lives.

If you’re not already subscribed, do your pet a favor and sign up here for this free service right now. Then, please share this post with your friends so we can help get the word out!

Maker: Primal Pet Foods
Cause: Bone grind size too large
Announcement: Company announcement on social media, Dec. 22, 2017
What was recalled: Only the following specific freeze-dried formulas for dogs and cats:

This is the 3rd pet food recall in Primal Pet Foods’ history, though it’s the first ever dog food recall for the company (the previous recalls, for cat foods, were in 2015 and 2011).

Matthew R. Koss, the company’s founder and president, released the news in a letter on social media, stating, “As these products do not meet our precise specifications, we are requesting that these specific products and lot codes be returned to the Primal retailer at which the product was originally purchased for full credit.”

Koss said the bone grind size was about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch above the ideal. He added, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to you and your pets.”

There were more recalls in 2017. See the previous one:

Previous Recall

(Or browse recalls by brand name)

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