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Vital Essentials Recalls Two Limited Batches of Pet Food Treats

Vital Essentials Pet Food is voluntarily recalling two small limited batches of frozen beef tripe patties and frozen beef tripe nibblets.

Vital Essentials Pet Food is voluntarily recalling two small limited batches of frozen beef tripe patties and frozen beef tripe nibblets.

Press release provided to TruthaboutPetFood.com by Vital Essentials…

A Wisconsin firm is voluntarily recalling two small limited batches of frozen beef tripe patties and frozen beef tripe nibblets. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested product and alerted Carnivore Meat Company that the product tested positive for Listeria, a bacteria commonly found in soil and water and some animals. While Listeria can cause illness for humans and some animals, according to the FDA it is actually rare that dogs become ill from Listeria. No other product manufactured by the company is involved in this voluntary recall.

The lots involved in this voluntary recall are:
Vital Essentials Frozen Beef Tripe Patties, UPC 33211 00809, Lot # 10930, Best by date 20160210
Vital Essentials Frozen Beef Tripe Nibblets UPC33211 00904, Lot # 10719, Best by date 12022015

 

The “Best By” date code and lot # is located on the back of the package. The affected product was distributed in WA, CA, TX, GA, IL, CO, NM, FL, PA, RI, OH and VT.

 

If you are a consumer and have purchased a bag of Vital Essentials Frozen Beef Tripe Patties with the “Best By” date code of 20160210 or a bag of Frozen Beef Tripe Nibblets with a “Best By” date code of 12022015, we ask that you please call 920-370-6542 Monday-Friday 9:00AM-4:00PM CST and someone will assist you in obtaining replacement or a full refund from your local retailer for your original purchase.  If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle.

Our Commitment to Quality

The company is fully committed to maintaining the highest quality standards in the pet food industry and ensuring the health and safety of pets. The firm’s quality control and quality assurance programs include, but are not limited to: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s), a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) program, regular lot segregation, and other industry best practices. The manufacturing facility also adheres to these specific quality measures:

  • USDA Inspected Pet Food Facility
  • FDA Inspected Facility
  • Ingredients sourced from USDA inspected facilities in the United States

Consumer Questions

Representatives are available from Monday – Friday 9:00AM – 4:00PM CST at 920-370-6542.

 

CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS:

What should I do if I discover a package of recalled product in my freezer?
If the lot # matches the lots listed in the recall notice, please throw the product away and notify the store where you purchased the product for a full refund.

Are any other Vital Essentials products affected?
Only the two small limited batches of frozen beef tripe treats, with lot numbers that match the recall notice are affected.

Why were these items withdrawn from the market?
The FDA notified us of two limited batches of beef tripe products tested positive for Listeria. Although according to the FDA, Listeria, even if present, rarely causes any illness in dogs, we nevertheless decided, in an abundance of caution, to withdraw the product from the market.  We pride ourselves on the overall quality of our pet food, and we believe taking these precautionary steps was the most appropriate thing to do.  The market withdrawal was thorough and effective.

Can my dog get Listeriosis from pet food?
According to the FDA website, dogs almost never become sick from listeria, and nearly 20% of dogs already test positive for the bacteria.  Additionally, the FDA website cites one reference, which mentioned only six reported cases in dogs from 1947 to 2000.  http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm373757.htm#Animals

What steps have you taken to help prevent this from happening in the future?
We believe that this was an issue that arose from a problem with a supplier.  Moving forward, we will continue to carefully assess and monitor and also require letters of guarantee from our suppliers.

Vital Essentials recall notice: http://www.vitalessentialsraw.com/#!tripe-recall/c1yt2

 

 

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Tracey

    July 7, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    What’s going on lately with the recalls of raw food? I’ve never really seen raw food have a problem before. 🙁 I’ve also notice both companies this week that recalled food for Listeriosus have been Wisconsin companies.

  2. Mandy B

    July 7, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    Does anyone know if Vital Essentials Topper products are made at the same facility as the patties / niblets? 2 of my senior cats have been having some digestive upset off and on, and I’m a little concerned. They’re going to the vet on the 18th.

    • Vital Essentials Raw

      July 7, 2015 at 8:08 pm

      Mandy, I private messaged you regarding your earlier question. All our products are made at the same facility. We do not manufacture multiple batches simultaneously and all equipment is sterilized between product batches. For more information regarding the recall please visit our website. http://www.vitalessentialsraw.com/#!tripe-recall/c1yt2

  3. Grateful

    July 7, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    The other listeria recall was in Maryland. I find it very strange that there were two recalls for listeria contamination. I still suspect a smear campaign. Funded by BPF.

  4. AMichelle

    July 7, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    Something seems strange…I agree. Two raw companies both test positive for Listeria in the same timeframe? Could the FDA have accidentally contaminated in testing? I know the FDA is not a fan of raw food. Hmmm.
    My dogs do well with Stella and Chewy’s Beef. As a matter of fact my little Doc, who had severe anemia prior to Stella’s Beef (previously ate a competitor’s dehydrated food then Stella’s Duck), is now in safe levels after eating this food in Beef. Doc has GME and so his nutrition is important.

  5. J. C.

    July 8, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    The headline of this article is misleading. It says pet food treats, but the recall is on raw frozen food. Might want to change that.

    • Susan Thixton

      July 8, 2015 at 9:04 pm

      Hi J.C. – both of these products are listed as treats on the Vital Essentials website and the company press release states treats as well.

  6. brit

    July 23, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    I am now cooking for my dogs other than the raw organic chicken necks I buy at local health food store that I freeze for a couple of weeks prior to using.

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