2008 Salmonella Pet Food Recall is Expanded
Dog Foods and Cat Foods are Recalled by Pedigree Maker, Mars Petcare
Nov 29, 2008
Pet food manufacturer Mars Petcare U.S., makers of pet food brands like Pedigree® and Special Kitty®, have issued yet another voluntary dog food recall and cat food recall due to possible salmonella contamination.
This is the fourth voluntary pet food recall issued in 2008 by Mars Petcare.
What Dog Foods and Cat Foods are Included in this Salmonella-Related Pet Food Recall?
Mars Petcare issued this voluntary pet food recall on November 25, 2008. This recall is technically an expansion of an existing pet food recall involving Special Kitty cat food.
The following dog food and cat food brands are included in this recall:
- Special Kitty®
- Ol' Roy®
- Berkley & Jensen®
- Bistro Blend®
- ShopRite® Pet Food
- ShopRite Crunchy Bites, Bones and Healthy Squares Dog Food®
- Small Bites and Bones®
Only dry dog food and dry cat food is affected by this salmonella-related pet food recall. No canned pet food has been included in this recall, according to Mars Petcare.
How Can I Identify a Recalled Bag of Cat Food or Dog Food?
Pet owners can look for the following information on their pet food bag: the numbers "50" will be at the beginning of the second row of numbers of the product's "best by" code. This code is located near the UPC bar code on most products.
The following is an example of how the code may appear:
Best By AUG 15 09 (sample date)
50 1445 1
A complete list of UPC code numbers (a.k.a. skew numbers) for the recalled dog and cat food is available on the Mars Petcare website.
If the original pet food bag has been thrown out, dog and cat owners should assume that the food is contaminated and bring the remaining food to the store where it was purchased for a refund or replacement food.
Where Was the Recalled Pet Food Sold?
The recalled and potentially contaminated dog food and cat food has been sold at the following stores:
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- ShopRite Supermarkets
- Wal-Mart
According to the Mars Petcare website, this voluntary pet food recall primarily affects pet owners in the following states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Maine
- North Carolina
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- Vermont
- West Virginia
According to the Mars Petcare website, the recalled cat and dog foods were manufactured at the Mars Petcare's Allentown, PA facility.
Notably, this Allentown facility is a separate factory from the Everson, PA pet food manufacturing plant that was involved in the summer 2008 recall that affected Pedigree® and more than a dozen other pet food brands. The Everson, PA pet food plant was ultimately shut down, as the source of the salmonella contamination could not be traced.
Additional Information on Pet Food Recalls and Salmonella in Pets
Visit the Pet Food Recall Page for additional information on how to keep pets and humans safe during a pet food recall. The page includes a vast array of pet food recall information, including how to safely handle recalled pet food.
The Pet Food Recall Page also includes information on how to decontaminate pet food containers, pet food bowls and any other surfaces that have come in contact with the recalled pet food, since it may be contaminated with salmonella.
Pet owners will also find additional information about salmonella symptoms in dogs and cats, along with information on how this illness is diagnosed and treated in pets. Notably, salmonella is one of the few illnesses that can be transmitted between pets and humans.
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