Open Farm removes six dog foods over plastic film issue

Open Farm has quietly removed six dog food products from the market after detecting small pieces of soft plastic film in limited lots, framing the issue as a manufacturing quality problem rather than a health hazard. The company said the material was found through its own quality control process and involved five Freeze-Dried Raw Morsel recipes for dogs plus its Front Range Ancient Grains RawMix recipe. According to Open Farm, the film is food-grade, non-toxic, thin, and malleable, and “does not pose a health risk for dogs,” but the affected batches did not meet the company’s quality standards. (openfarmpet.com)

The development surfaced publicly in late December 2024, when Dog Food Advisor reported Open Farm’s market removal and emphasized that it was “not a recall” because the issue was one of quality, not safety. A January 2, 2025, report from Truth about Pet Food added that FDA enforcement records listed multiple Open Farm products as withdrawn because of “foreign object (plastic)” contamination, while also noting that no FDA recall press release was expected. Taken together, the reporting suggests a limited withdrawal handled through trade channels and direct consumer support, rather than a broader public-health recall. (dogfoodadvisor.com)

Open Farm’s own notice provides the clearest explanation of what happened. The company said a few small pieces of liner from some raw protein ingredients were not completely removed before manufacturing, allowing soft plastic film to appear in select lots. It instructed retailers to remove affected product from shelves, said unaffected lots can continue to be fed as usual, and told pet parents they can contact customer care for refunds, replacements, or help choosing an alternative recipe. The company also said it has added material-handling requirements and enhanced quality inspections for the affected recipes to prevent recurrence. (openfarmpet.com)

One useful point of context for clinics is the difference between regulatory language and client perception. Pet parents tend to hear “plastic in food” and think toxicity, obstruction, or an FDA-mandated recall. But based on the company’s statement, this event is being positioned as a foreign-material quality defect with low expected biologic risk, not a contamination event involving pathogens, toxins, or sharp fragments. That distinction matters in conversations at the front desk and in exam rooms, especially if clients are considering abrupt diet changes for otherwise healthy dogs. This interpretation is based on Open Farm’s description of the material and the absence, in the sourced reporting, of illness reports or a formal FDA safety alert. (openfarmpet.com)

There doesn’t appear to be much published third-party expert commentary on this specific Open Farm action, but FDA guidance is relevant. The agency says foreign objects found in pet food are reportable product problems, even if no animal has been affected, and encourages both consumers and veterinarians to report concerns through the Safety Reporting Portal. That creates an important backstop for surveillance: even low-risk defects can reveal manufacturing trends, lot-specific failures, or broader supplier issues if enough reports accumulate. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the practical issue is client communication and triage. If a pet parent calls after finding soft plastic in one of the named lots, the immediate advice is less about emergency toxicology and more about stopping use of the affected product, preserving packaging and lot information, documenting any clinical signs, and reporting the issue to both the manufacturer and FDA. If a dog is asymptomatic and the material matches Open Farm’s description, the risk may be low; if there is vomiting, gagging, anorexia, abdominal pain, or concern for ingestion of a larger fragment, that shifts into the usual foreign-body assessment pathway. (openfarmpet.com)

The episode also underscores a broader supply-chain reality in premium pet food: even brands with strong transparency and quality positioning remain vulnerable to upstream packaging and ingredient-handling failures. For practices, that means safety conversations with pet parents should stay grounded in process, not branding alone. A company’s response speed, lot traceability, retailer communication, and willingness to offer replacements or refunds can be as clinically relevant to trust as the defect itself. Open Farm has said it implemented additional handling controls and inspections, which is the key operational signal to monitor. (openfarmpet.com)

What to watch: The next signal will be whether FDA’s enforcement reporting further clarifies classification, scope, or status, and whether Open Farm updates the affected lot list or shares more detail on distribution, complaint volume, or the effectiveness of its corrective actions. (truthaboutpetfood.com)