FDA Issues a Corporate-Wide Warning Letter to Midwestern Pet Food Seven Months Late

Today (8/17/21) the FDA issued the following: “FDA Issues a Corporate-Wide Warning Letter to Company Associated with Contaminated Pet Food, Hundreds of Adverse Events.” The FDA Warning Letter comes seven months after recalls issued by Midwestern Pet food.

The FDA Warning Letter announcement shared “After inspecting Midwestern’s Chickasha plant, the FDA also inspected the company’s three other manufacturing plants. These inspections revealed evidence of significant violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals regulation.”

The Warning Letter stated FDA performed inspections at the four Midwestern Pet Food manufacturing facilities and found “evidence of significant violations” to required preventive controls in all four pet food plants. The FDA inspection found Midwestern Pet Food “failed to follow proper sample preparation procedures” (“outlined in the aflatoxin test kit manufacturer’s recommended procedure“) for mycotoxin testing which “led to potentially inaccurate analyses and test results for sampled products.”

The FDA inspections also found that positive Salmonella testing was found on multiple products – known as positive by Midwestern Pet Food – yet the company released the products into retail sale ignoring test results.

The Warning Letter allows Midwestern Pet Food fifteen days to respond to FDA’s concerns stating to the pet food “This letter notifies you of our concerns and provides you an opportunity to address them. Failure to adequately address this matter may lead to legal action, including without limitation, seizure, and injunction.”

Personal opinion: The FDA Warning Letter is a step in the right direction, however it is months late. The announcement of the Warning Letter also appeared to show how concerned FDA is about protecting our pets; “We’ll continue to hold companies accountable and protect animal health as a core element of the FDA’s public health mission.”

However to remind pet owners, this entire Midwestern Pet Foods deadly disaster was discovered by pet owners – NOT FDA. After pets died, pet owners had the pet foods tested – and provided those results to regulatory.

Pet owners are also who held companies accountable for pentobarbital contamination. The actions taken by two pet owners in 2017/2018 resulted in more than 92 million pounds of pentobarbital contaminated pet food to be recalled. Pet owners (and attorneys) are who is holding pet food companies accountable, not FDA.

Pet owners truly want FDA to hold companies accountable, and to protect our pets health. Unfortunately, a warning seven months after more than 100 pets died doesn’t seem to hold anyone accountable for their actions. Swift, serious consequences is accountability – months after our pets die due to contaminated pet food is too late. Where’s the prevention?

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

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