Albright’s recalls one lot of raw chicken dog food over Salmonella
CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: Albright’s Raw Pet Food, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has voluntarily recalled one lot of its Chicken Recipe for Dogs Complete and Balanced after routine FDA sampling found Salmonella in one composite sample. The recall covers frozen 1-pound bricks in clear vacuum packaging, lot C001730, best-by date April 28, 2027, UPC 20855404008367. The product was distributed directly to pet parents nationwide, sold online, and sent to a limited number of retailers in Massachusetts, California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and New York. As of the company’s May 6 announcement and the FDA’s May 7 posting, no illnesses in pets or people had been confirmed, and Albright’s said third-party confirmatory testing was still pending. (fda.gov)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is another reminder that raw diets continue to present both patient and household exposure risks, even when no clinical cases have yet been reported. FDA and CDC both say raw pet food is more likely than processed pet food to contain pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria, and exposed dogs may be asymptomatic while still shedding organisms that can infect people and other animals. As infectious disease experts have also noted in recent commentary on other raw-food recalls, Listeria contamination can be especially concerning because it may persist in production environments when cleaning, disinfection, or maintenance are inadequate, potentially widening the scope and duration of contamination. That makes diet history, client counseling, and household risk assessment especially important when dogs present with acute GI signs, fever, lethargy, or when immunocompromised people, young children, or older adults are in the home. (fda.gov)
What to watch: Watch for any update from Albright’s or FDA on confirmatory testing, scope changes, or reported illnesses tied to lot C001730. More broadly, recent expert commentary on other raw-pet-food recalls has underscored that contamination events can sometimes expand beyond initially identified lots, particularly when environmental contamination is involved. (fda.gov)