Pet food consumer Carrie P. shares she found bluish green mold at the bottom of her Purina One Beyond cat food. She tells me she feeds lots of strays and is very concerned. The cats had only eaten two meals from the bag (she found this mold within 24 hours of purchase), however one cat is vomiting. This incident has been reported to Purina, FDA, Department of Agriculture and the store she purchased from. Here are the pictures…
Carrie P. states the food is Purina One Beyond Salmon & Whole Brown Rice Recipe. The lot number is 308710832219L01 and the “good until” date is September 2014.
We do not know at this point if regulatory authorities will investigate. The pet owner does have the pet food in her possession. Carrie told me Purina did not offer to test the food, did not ask to see her pictures, but offered to send her coupons.
A pet food insider looked at these pictures for me and shared…
Mold like this in a pet food could be caused from warm pet food being sealed in packaging before it has properly cooled. Important: this insider also explained that should FDA or State Department of Agriculture wish to investigate this mold, batch times are required to be documented at every pet food plant. Batch times would show mix times, then extrusion time, followed by the time the pet food was bagged. Thus, it would be very easy for FDA or Department of Agriculture to learn if the pet food was not properly cooled before being bagged (also it would be very easy for the manufacturer to know if this is the case).
There is also a possibility that warm/moist warehousing conditions could escalate mold growth.
If any pet food consumer finds mold in their pet food…
- Stop feeding the food immediately. Consult your veterinarian.
- Take pictures. Document the lot number and best by date. Document when the food was purchased, where the food was purchased. Double bag the food (in its original packaging) and store in the freezer (if you have room – cool dark room if not).
- Report the mold to the pet food manufacturer, the FDA, and your State Department of Agriculture. Tell the FDA and/or the State Dept of Agriculture Investigator you would like for them to look over the manufacturing records for this pet food; tell them you want assurance the mold was not caused by bagging the food when warm.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Sandy
May 23, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Oh how nice, offered her some coupons….sigh (shaking my head)
Jill
May 24, 2013 at 7:35 am
Hey, my *former* vet ruined my last show litter of puppies by docking their tails too short (long story) and he offered me free puppy shots.
Lillian
May 24, 2013 at 9:15 am
Sandy, I was thinking the same thing. Coupons??? are you serious?? Your food could have killed my pet and now your offering me coupons so I can buy more and finish the job?? Wow.. time to ban this product!!!
darene fox
May 24, 2013 at 10:51 am
my thoughts exactly. except I had to laugh at the insanity of such an offer. the laughing was cut short when I saw the pictures. ewwww!!!! nasty! nasty! nasty! it just goes to show you how much they think consumers are on their same level… it’s all about money. really? think again!
cat chow company consolidates with comedy club?
customer calls, complaint concerns cat chow’s crappy condition. cat chow company’s consolation: coupons. crazy! certainly cat chow company coupons can’t cheer customer.
mmmm mmmm good….
moldy meals make meowers miserable. makes meowers moms mostly mad.
mikken
May 23, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Why doesn’t Purina want to investigate? I would think that if it were a manufacturing/bagging error, they would want to know that immediately as everything in that run would be potentially affected.
This kind of “here, have a coupon” shoddy handling is what leads to REAL problems down the road.
Monica
May 23, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Purina doesn’t care. Their products are responsible for many sick/dead animals. They continue to add ingredients that are known allergens and others that are known to cause liver failure, kidney failure, cancer, etc. Ingredients that aren’t necessary in the first place. When there is a problem, they’ll offer some hush money. It’s cheaper for them to offer payoffs on an individual basis than to do the right thing and find out what’s wrong with their products.
angela
May 29, 2013 at 10:37 pm
My boxer DIED at age 3.5 due to purina one changing thier formula. He died from severe inflammatory bowel disease. He literally starved to death because his intestines were so inflammed he couls not get any nutirents from ANYTHING he ate. Purina offered me $250 and some coupons. I spent over $4000 just in vet bills trying to save them. I fed purina one for years to my other dogs and never had a problem. When Brutus died my heart was shredded. They said ” though imflammatory bowel diease is a serious issue, it is NOT diet related”. SERIOUSLY? Than what causes it, JERKS? I did NOT take the $250 they offered, (for alimited time by the way), becasue they wanted me to sign a liablity wavier. I wrote them back and told them to stuff it, and I tell EVERYONE NOT to feed thier animals purina products. I show them pictures of Brutus if I have them and beg them to spend a little more money and feed thier dogs GOOD food. Purina does NOT care about animals and they certainly will cut every corner they can to make the all mighty $$.
Fait Ku
May 30, 2013 at 7:43 pm
So sorry for your loss I used to have Boxers and they are something rather special. luckily for me when I bought my first bag of Purina or perhaps it was a free sample, I just don’t remember, but my dogs had the sense to turn their noses up at the food. I presented it to them in different forms with the same results. I then put it out for the wild dogs that roam here in Taiwan, same results !!!!!!!!! Bless you for loving dogs, they are truly our best friends.
elle
May 23, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Why is this bag no longer in the possession of the pet food consumer (“The pet owner does have the pet food in her possession.) I hope she didn’t throw it out.
Susan Thixton
May 23, 2013 at 4:27 pm
She does have the food.
FedUp
May 23, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Is “Mold” their upgrade/improvement from moths & larvae?
At any rate, vomiting, death, bloody diarrhea, & lethargy – STILL pouring in!
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/ralston.html
The above does NOT include Beneful, which has its OWN 500+ stories from pet owners. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/beneful.html
Lucky for them, Nestle is a BIG adverti$er due to alllll the “products” they sell, so they are imune to scrutiny.
Ever notice that when a smaller brand has the tiniest of issues, it’s plastered allll over the place?
tina
May 27, 2013 at 5:59 pm
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/beneful.html
angela
May 29, 2013 at 10:39 pm
every thing you said is 100% true. It makes me sick that it CAN all be true. This company poisons dogs and get away with it.
Debi
May 23, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Funny that these are the pet foods that one sees on television commercials the most, what big money, uncaring, bottom line, bottom feeding creeps and killers, it is only going to get worse, believe it.
Joy
May 23, 2013 at 6:44 pm
Was Feeding this cat food to my 13 yr old cat for almost 6 months now. A month ago she began throwing up every morning when she got the dry food. Had to take her to the vet. Makes you wonder
Furbabymom
May 23, 2013 at 7:28 pm
This is why we always dump the bag into a metal garbage cans we have one designated only for the dog food and the other for cats food.. It enables us to double check and make sure the food is not spoiled in anyways.. Plus we not only feed them dry food, we supplement and mix with fresh veggies, meats and fruits..
Faith Fletcher-Ku
May 23, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Great information thank you. I was seriously thinking of trying out Purina, now I know the company really don’t care about their clients so no purchases from me.
Once when I had a complaint I was given some excellent advice. Write to the Chairman of the company and mark it Confidential and Personal. You will I guarantee get a much better answer than from an administrator at the bottom of the pile.
angela
May 29, 2013 at 10:41 pm
My dog died from Purina one. He was 3.5 years old. He had severe inflammatory bowel disease and ULCERs. According to my vet specialist, ulcers are rare for dog to get and he had them due to his dog food. If I was more educated then he would still be alive. PLEASE don’t give it to your dogs. Spend extra money and feed them well. You will not be sorry.
Vicki
May 23, 2013 at 8:08 pm
I never leave the food in the original bags but pour it immediately into a container (clear) after opening so that I can see the food. Storage is important also – never put it around heat/air vents or in damp places.
darlene fox
May 25, 2013 at 6:20 pm
I put my dry cat food into sealable easier to handle containers that will fit in the multishelved cupboard designated for all of my cat stuff. (food, dishes, nip, treats, etc.) it recently occurred to me (duh!)to start saving the needed info (lot number, place of packaging, expiration date, etc.)from the bag in case there is a recall so I will know exactly what I have. I recommend this to anyone who does not keep their dry pet food in its original packaging.
Allison
May 23, 2013 at 8:30 pm
The outside of the bag doesn’t appear to have any damage or wet marks from what I see in the picture…so it definitely was something inside the bag that caused it. Gross. Kibble sucks.
Chris
May 23, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Ok, so the pet food industry really needs to shape up and start being more responsible and safe about what they are producing, but I see some issues with this post. Firstly, it states, “The cats had only eaten two meals from the bag (she found this mold within 24 hours of purchase)”, if this is a 1.36kg bag(3 lbs), how many cats was she feeding?! Secondly, in response to Allison, if you look closer it DOES appear that there is a hole in the bottom left of the bag where you can see what looks like sunlight shining in. These companies need to start taking issues seriously, but pet owners need to be more responsible too.
Laura
May 24, 2013 at 8:22 am
From the article: “She tells me she feeds lots of strays and is very concerned.” The photo shows a 1.36kg bag, which probably doesn’t go very far if the lady is feeding multiple cats.
Susan Thixton
May 24, 2013 at 9:22 am
The pet owner told me she was out of her regular food (I believe she said it was Fromm) and stopped by the grocery to get some food until her order of pet food arrived. To me it doesn’t matter what size bag, what type of food, where she bought it – no pet food should contain mold.
Carrie
May 24, 2013 at 11:31 am
Hi, Chris. I have six cats in the house and have three feral cat shelters in the back yard, with at least eight “regulars” who stop by each day and untold numbers of strays and wild critters. Three-pound bags last about 12 hours or less for me.
That’s not a hole in the bag, but a reflection/light. I took the pictures outside, where I could get the best light.
wanda
May 23, 2013 at 11:35 pm
im sorry to hear about ur kitty , if i was you i would SUE AND SUE BIG U HAVE PITCHERS AND HOPEFULL THE MOLD ,,FOR PROOF !!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOPE UR BABY KITTY GETS BETTER………
Mike
May 23, 2013 at 11:38 pm
Listen, if the mold was on the bottom of the bag – and not throughout – the strong likelihood is that bag was improperly stored, the bottom got wet and it became moldy. Vicki and Chris bring up good points and I’ll add another. If you’re feed that a bunch of strays, as she states, then why would she only get a 3-pound bag? If she does feed them using a series of three-pound bags, then it could have been open for only 24 hours but sat around – improperly stored – for days.
The offer of the coupons is simple PR; no admission, no fight, just give simple dispensation to a complaint where there are clear questions about her story.
Carrie
May 24, 2013 at 11:33 am
I bought two three-pound bags, which would last one day until my shipment of Fromm Adult Gold came. I’d had that bag less than 24 hours at that point–bought it the afternoon before and found the mold at around 7 in the morning.
Carrie
May 24, 2013 at 11:34 am
Also, the store where I purchased the bags (Walmart) only carries the 3-pound size for One Beyond.
Vickie hocking
May 24, 2013 at 2:19 am
These commercial pet foods that you buy in grocery stores are the worst. Seek out Vet Dr. Becker on line, dry food is the worse thing to feed cats as it dries out their organs. Years ago before I knew this, I had one cat that would only eat dry and the other would only eat wet canned foods, the one that ate dry had the worst teeth and died 4 years earlier than her sister who only ate wet.
Laura
May 24, 2013 at 2:32 am
When did this suddenly become an issue that the big manufacturers like Purina could simply brush off? It frustrates me to NO end that this company takes ZERO responsibility for their poor quality products when they are outed, and turn a blind eye when animals die from this crap. I certainly hope the FDA does *something*, but then again, with the vets they have on staff, they may not “know what to test for”…
Della
May 24, 2013 at 11:21 am
Purina is the worst dog food company around!! Call and ask them what animal digest is!
josh
May 24, 2013 at 11:35 am
Leave it to a big company like this to not take responsiblity for their screw up. just cause your big does not mean your going to get away with this. have a wonderful day
Karen Long
May 24, 2013 at 1:05 pm
I am the owner of Happy Tails Doggie Delights. As you may guess we make dog biscuits. Several years ago I ran into this problem with another Purina product This was before we had so many other commercial dog foods out there. When I complained I was offered coupons and told that they would investigate and call me. After a week I called them to see what they had found,no one there had even heard about the problem but they did offer more coupons. When I was totally outraged they told me rudely that I was welcome to try to find a better product to feed my dogs and hung up on me.So guess what? I did. For the last 15 years my dogs have lived on a diet of our homemade food and fresh baked dog treats. My vet states that they are some of the best looking and well cared for pooches she has ever seen. To anyone who wants this recipe Like us on Facebook and request the recipe and I will be happy to send it to you. It is vet approved and supplies all the protein and vitamins your dog needs to live a healthy life.
K.L. owner of Happy Tails Doggie Delights in Kawkawlin,Mi
Fait Ku
May 24, 2013 at 8:17 pm
I also feed strays, but they are dogs in Taiwan. No I don’t use Purina, never liked it nor did the dogs. However I bag up in zip bags all the food and store in a cool dark place. I would never leave one of those cat or dog food bags around even for a couple of hours as any humidity in the air will soon turn the food off. You just leave a packet of human biscuits open for a couple of hours and you will see they are horrid. Making your own cat and dog treats is great fun and they appreciate your efforts more than humans . If you are the new generation who have never cooked before, follow a video on the internet and have fun, you will be surprised how much pleasure you and your pet get out of D.I.Y.
Pamela Gruno
May 24, 2013 at 1:31 pm
They Sent Me Coupons Before.This Nreds More Attention Than Coupons.
Brenda
May 24, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Purina bought Friskies so now they make the food for Friskies dry & canned SO you will need to watch this food also.
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Cheryl
May 26, 2013 at 9:29 pm
My cat is in critical condition now, yesterday and will be for at least a few days. He ate purina one and we found some fibrous material in his food bowl today. He is yellow and having trouble with his liver. We had it sent off for a culture, but won’t know anything for a few days since it is a long weekend.
http://www.gofundme.com/31u65c
Fait Ku
May 27, 2013 at 8:09 pm
As a pet lover I feel for you. I am wishing you well and of course your puss cat.
Cheryl
May 27, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Thank you, since that update we have found some sort of larvae or worm in the food and he is still in critical condition. We did choose to have a sample sent off for lab tests and will be forwarding those to anyone who can help. I wish I could post pictures on here of the larvae. The food best buy date is oct 2013.
Fait Ku
May 28, 2013 at 9:03 am
I know that in the U.K. we not only have the health inspectors but also trading standards offices. Once when I found something in some food I took it to the trading standards dept. attached our local government office and the firm was very heavily fined.
I do so hope you puddy cat improves, please get in touch as I shall be thinking of you all and wishing you well.
Andrew
May 27, 2013 at 8:35 pm
Here is the Examiner article-suggest a follow up to FDA and hold Purina accountable on this product line. Just as they ramp up new brands and marketing, nothing really changes in the process-they just are not able to. We know all too well how it works.
http://www.examiner.com/article/purina-probing-moldy-cat-food
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