The FDA has informed J.M. Smucker that the firm’s previous action to withdraw products from the marketplace is now reclassified as a recall. But…the recall notice is NOT published on the FDA website.
After Washington D.C. television station WJLA’s investigation into pet food discovered the euthanizing drug pentobarbital in multiple cans of Gravy Train dog food, parent company J.M. Smucker issued a withdrawal of multiple brands of dog food; withdrawal dated 2/16/18. A pet food “withdrawal” is different from a recall.
A ‘Market Withdrawal’ is defined by FDA as: “Market withdrawal means a firm’s removal or correction of a distributed product which involves a minor violation that would not be subject to legal action by the FDA.”
A ‘Recall’ is defined by FDA as: “Recall means a firm’s removal or correction of a marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers and against which the agency would initiate legal action, e.g., seizure.”
(Note: the above definitions were obtained from the FDA website – under the category of “Devices”. No definitions were found within the Animal & Veterinary category. The definitions would apply to pet food as well as ‘Devices’.)
On the same date as the J.M. Smucker pet food withdrawal (2/16/18), FDA posted an “Alert” on the agency website informing consumers of the pet food withdrawal. This FDA alert notified consumers to the multiple products being ‘withdrawn’ from market by the pet food manufacturer.
On March 2, 2018 FDA added this update to the original alert…
Update: March 2, 2018
The FDA has informed J.M. Smucker that the firm’s action to remove products from the marketplace is now considered a recall. The FDA based this decision on a test by the firm confirming the presence of pentobarbital in the tallow ingredient used in the affected products.
The FDA is continuing its investigation and has collected finished product samples for testing that is currently pending. While the firm and FDA testing was pending, the FDA agreed to allow the firm to withdraw products from the marketplace because it was the quickest way to remove potentially adulterated product. However, now that the firm has verified that the products contain pentobarbital, an illegal substance in pet food at any amount, the firm has agreed to continue to remove product under the voluntarily recall process. The FDA will share more information as it becomes available.
Only the above brief “Update” was provided to the public, currently there is no recall notice published on the FDA website for the J.M. Smucker pet foods.
The full list of pet foods recalled are available here: https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/ucm597135.htm.
FoodSafetyNews.com reports that “the recall covers more than 107 million cans of dog food in several flavors sold under the Gravy Train, Kibbles ’N Bits, Skippy and Ol’ Roy brands.”
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Pet Owner
March 4, 2018 at 2:04 pm
I would be the last person to defend the FDA. But the statement above is dated 3-2-18 (a Friday). Maybe there wasn’t time before a weekend to create the FDA Recall notice, meaning the one we’re usually emailed. Granted, am sure “big business” is being given a break. But this adulteration is so important, am sure an FDA notice is going to have to be generated.
The most important sources to be notified are chain, discount & local grocery stores, to get the stuff off their shelves. So how is that information being conveyed to them?
Sharon Bilotta-Testa
March 4, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Y’all should think before buying ANY Smuker’s product if even that cheap crap the use as pet food,pretty sure their other line for human consumption is crap also
Debi
March 5, 2018 at 9:10 am
so right, so very right you are !!!!
Mary Lynch
March 4, 2018 at 6:50 pm
How is tallow used in dog food?
ANDREW BULLOCK
March 6, 2018 at 8:13 pm
Tallow is the rendered fat when dead animals are cooked to high temperatures, and scraped off the top for flavorings in pet food, candles, etc. It is not a healthy by-product.
I would question the use of rendered horse meat in any rendered animal product that goes in to low quality dog/cat food.
Reader
March 7, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Who in the world would want to feed their pet the same version of an ingredient put into cheap bar soap? Good gracious people, buy a can of Hash or canned Chicken Breast meant for human consumption and feed it with a recommended PF on Susan’s list!