2025 Pet Food Review

In 2025 we saw thirteen recalls. A total of 166,071 pounds of pet foods and treats were recalled. Causes:

Salmonella: 157,227 pounds
HPAI (avian flu): 5,244 pounds
Foreign Objects: 3,600 pounds

Styles recalled:
Raw Pet Foods: 84,311 pounds
Treats: 78,160 pounds
Cooked: 3,600 pounds

2025 began with several concerning recalls for avian flu in raw pet food. As investigation into these recalls proceeded, we learned that regulatory authorities fumbled the investigations on numerous levels.

First Oregon Department of Agriculture told the public they were “confident” raw pet food was the cause of a cat’s Avian Flu diagnosis, and told the public the cat was “strictly an indoor cat”. As the investigation turned out, we learned the sick cat (who later died) was NOT strictly an indoor cat, and FDA cleared the pet food from being linked to the cat’s illness.

We learned in early 2025 the FDA was “restricting” laboratories from testing pet foods for the public for avian flu. TAPF was told the labs have the capacity to perform the important testing, but “we are not allowed”.

Also in early 2025, the FDA invited multiple industry associations to a private avian flu update. However the agency neglected to update pet owners.

And, even though raw pet food became the villain in 2025 as a significant risk to spread avian flu to cats – statistics showed us that only 4% of the diagnosed cats consumed a raw pet food. FDA has withheld the information from the public regarding the style of food the remaining 96% of diagnosed cats consumed.

In 2025, we (TruthaboutPetFood) provided pet owners with a couple of new educational tools. A pdf document explaining rendered pet food ingredients, and a Cost to Feed calculator.

In early 2025, we saw the FDA walk out of the AAFCO meeting stating the new administration has prohibited the agency from participating in any event, and prohibited the agency from speaking to the public. A few weeks later we learned of staff cuts at the Center for Veterinary Medicine division of FDA (the agency that oversees pet food/animal feed and animal drugs).

We sent FDA questions regarding the walkout and staff cuts, the agency sent us a brief statement with little information except “We ask for your patience as there is likely going to be lags in communication in the near future.“

In 2024, we saw a significant rise in sick pets linked to Purina Pet Foods. The FDA – unfortunately – was less than transparent with the public regarding how many complaints they were receiving about Purina. We filed a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) with the agency for all of their adverse event reports…it took the agency a full year to provide the documents (received in 2025). From the FOIA documents we learned:

In the first six months of 2024:

• the FDA received 1705 reports of sick pets linked to Purina pet food products, with 206 pet death reports.
• the FDA received 119 reports of sick pets linked to Mars Petcare pet food products, with 6 pet death reports.
• the FDA received 31 reports of sick pets linked to Hill’s pet food products, with 2 pet death reports.
• the FDA received 26 reports of sick pets linked to Diamond pet food products, with 1 pet death report.

For years organic pet food was regulated as livestock feed, finally at the end of 2024 pet food was provided its own organic regulations. But…in 2025 the USDA withdrew those regulations due to “an executive order that requires that whenever an agency promulgates a new rule, regulation, or guidance, it must identify at least 10 existing rules, regulations, or guidance documents to be repealed.”

According to market analysis from www.thestreet.com, we learned in 2025 that Purina pet foods and Mars Petcare together – make 61% of the US pet food market. Hundreds of other brands combined make up the remaining 39%.

After years of bashing fresh pet food, in 2025 we saw several of Big Pet Feed brands enter into this growing pet food segment. Mars Petcare brand Royal Canin was one of the brands that we saw a fresh food from…but…the price of this feed grade fresh pet food is significantly higher than a human grade pet food.

A Purina pet food plant in Denver, CO was served a lawsuit in 2025 for “repeated emissions of noxious odors”.

Another lawsuit we learned of in 2025 was filed against Petco, the pet store chain is being sued by its stockholders claiming the company overstated its “ability to deliver sustainable, profitable growth”.

In 2025 we learned of another example of regulatory treating pet food consumers and advocates poorly. When Kohl Harrington – producer of the film Pet Fooled, and recent law school graduate – questioned the Chair of the AAFCO Ingredient Definitions Committee about the vague definitions of raw, HPP’d pet foods, and freeze dried (such as a kibble pet food that claims ‘Raw Coated’), Ms. Erin Bubb (also with PA Department of Agriculture) blasted Mr. Harrington with: “After all these years, if you haven’t learned yet that we can get more accomplished by working together than offering the rude, pompous, over-inflated version of whatever you think you are, then you’ll never learn.”

We reported Ms. Bubb’s disrespectful behavior to AAFCO – who refused to take any action.

Sales of Purina Pet Foods dropped in 2025 – $550 million dollars down in the first 9 months of 2025 (compared to the same time frame in 2024). With dog food, sales for almost every style category dropped in 2025, EXCEPT the category of refrigerated/frozen dog food which rose by a whopping 17.8%. This category (refrigerated/frozen) includes human grade pet foods.

At the end of 2025, we learned of a new lawsuit from the State of California against Big Food manufacturers that has significant ties to pet food.

And, in closing, the end of 2025 marks another full year the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine has failed to respond to our Citizen Petition requesting transparency in pet food labeling (per the requirements of federal law). Even though the agency is required by law to provide a response to Citizen Petitions within 180 days, as of today (12/31/25), we have waited 1,259 days for the Center for Veterinary Medicine’s response. Click Here to read our Citizen Petition, or download from the Regulations.gov website.

Wishing all a Happy & Healthy 2026!

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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