The deadliest foodborne pathogen in terms of fatality rates is often considered to be *Listeria monocytogenes*. While infections from Listeria are less common compared to other pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli, the consequences can be much more severe, especially for certain high-risk populations. Read more at the link above.
Posted in Food Microbiology Research, Listeria, Listeria Deli Meats, Listeria Enoki Mushrooms, Listeria France, Listeria Ice Cream, Listeria in Cheese, Listeria innocua, Listeria invanovi, Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria Smoked Fish, Listeria valentina, Listeria welshimeri, Listeriolysin, listeriosis, Pet Food Listeria monocytogenes, Research
Lystn, LLC d.b.a./ANSWERS Pet Food of Fleetwood, PA, is voluntarily withdrawing certain lots of ANSWERS Detailed Beef Formula for Dogs, ANSWERS Straight Beef Formula for Dogs, and ANSWERS Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs out of an abundance of caution after samples collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were reported to have tested positive for the presence of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses associated with these lots have been confirmed. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Listeria monocytogenes rarely causes illness in dogs, but it is possible. Dogs can have mild symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Even if a dog is not showing symptoms, it can still be a carrier of the bacteria and spread it to humans. If a dog has consumed a product lot identified below, pet parents are encouraged to consult their veterinarian if symptoms exist.
People can become sick by handling contaminated food or touching surfaces that have been exposed to Listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms in humans may include fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff neck, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Young children, elderly people, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes infections and symptoms can be more severe. Anyone exhibiting symptoms after handling a product lot identified below, should contact their healthcare provider.
Individuals handling pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to such a lot of product being implicated. There are thousands of species of Salmonella, less than a handful are harmful to pets or humans. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with such a product should contact their healthcare providers. Children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems may be at greater risk of Salmonella infection.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets may only exhibit decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed product lot identified below and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The lots referenced below were distributed throughout the United States in retail stores and direct online sales. Again, no illnesses associated with these lots have been confirmed.
ANSWERS is notifying the public, distributors, and retail stores regarding this notice.
The products being withdrawn are sold in 4lb half gallon cartons (see pictures at end of this announcement). The brand names and lot numbers of the product being withdrawn are listed in the table below:
|
PRODUCT NAME/UPC |
SIZE |
Best Buy / Expiration |
Lot Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANSWERS Pet Food Detailed Beef Formula for Dogs/856554002102 |
4lb (Half Gallon Carton) | MAY 06, 2026 | BUBD MAY 06, 2026 |
| ANSWERS Pet Food Straight Beef Formula for Dogs/856554002072 |
4lb (Half Gallon Carton) | JAN 31, 2026 | BUBD JAN 31, 2026 |
| ANSWERS Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs/856554002065 |
4lb (Half Gallon Carton) | JAN 02, 2026 MAR 11, 2026 |
BUBD JAN 02, 2026 & MAR 11, 2026 |
What to Do
FDA guidelines recommend any product from the listed lots that has not yet been consumed should be thrown out or destroyed in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access it. Areas that may have come in contact with any contaminated food should be sanitized. The FDA recommends that people do not touch potentially contaminated food with bare hands and therefore suggests wearing gloves or using paper towels when placing any contaminated product in a sealed bag to throw out or when handling such food.
If consumers have any of these lots of products in their possession and desire a refund, please submit a receipt and pictures of the product to info@answerspetfood.com along with the retailer’s information. If you have questions or concerns, please email ANSWERS’ Pet Food at info@answerspetfood.com.
For Informational Purpose
From time-to-time pathogens appear in all types of pet food products and some may be harmful to pets and/or humans. The FDA considers any presence (zero tolerance) of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, regardless of origin, quantity, and type, as an adulterant in pet food. In accordance with the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, to date, ANSWERS has not received any quantification data or a completed Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) from the FDA or Center for Veterinarian Medicine for these particular lots of products. ANSWERS is conducting this voluntary withdrawal of these particular lots out of an abundance of caution to protect public health by ensuring timely removal of the implicated product lots from the marketplace. ANSWERS will continue investigating this FDA report pursuing its number one priority to bring healthy, safe, truly raw pet food products to market.
ANSWERS has been and will continue to work with the FDA to ensure that the highest and safest food is provided to your pets and continues to stand by the safety of our food and the unique and innovative way we protect our food with fermentation, probiotics and protective cultures that mitigate pathogens from growing.
July 1, 2024 – Viva Raw LLC, Hillsborough, NC is voluntarily recalling dog and cat foods, including the Viva Turkey for Dogs Ground, Viva Turkey for Dogs Chunked, Viva Turkey for Cats, Viva Pure Turkey, and Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies all manufactured under Lot 21244 because this lot, which includes these five products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and is a potential health risk to people and pets.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in pets eating contaminated products. People can become exposed to this pathogen through multiple routes such as handling the contaminated products, contact with pets that have eaten contaminated products and/or contact with surfaces that have touched contaminated food, such as bowls, utensils, or countertops. Risk of human illness from Listeria monocytogenes contaminated pet food increases if people do not thoroughly wash their hands after handling the food or having contact with their pet, or by not thoroughly cleaning contaminated surfaces.
Healthy people infected with Listeria monocytogenes may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, aches, fever and diarrhea. Listeria monocytogenes infections can spread through the bloodstream to the nervous system (including the brain), resulting in meningitis and other potentially fatal illnesses. Pregnant women are especially susceptible to Listeria infection, which can result in miscarriage. The young, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more vulnerable to infection. People exhibiting signs of Listeria monocytogenes infection after having contact with recalled product(s) or a pet that has eaten recalled product(s) should contact their healthcare providers.
Listeria monocytogenes illnesses in pets are rare, and infected pets may display symptoms such as mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervous, muscular and respiratory signs, miscarriage, depression, shock and death. Pets exposed to contaminated food can be infected without showing symptoms. Infected pets, even if they do not show symptoms, can act as carriers and transfer L. monocytogenes through their feces and saliva into the home environment and to people and other pets in the household. If your pet has eaten the recalled product(s) and has symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes infection, please contact your veterinarian.
The products were distributed directly to consumers in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Only products from Lot 21244 are affected, Viva Raw is notifying all customers who were shipped any Turkey or Beef & Turkey for Puppies products between May 16th and June 28th, 2024.
No illnesses related to this lot have been reported to date.
The product is distributed as frozen 1 lb bricks in clear vacuum packaging. Please see the attached example of product labels. There are no expiration dates for these products.
A study has added to evidence of the risk posed by contaminated raw pet food to human health.
Researchers investigated whether dog food, including raw meat-based diets (RMBD), available in Portugal can be a source of Salmonella or other Enterobacteriaceae strains resistant to last-line antibiotics such as colistin.
Since 2020, there have been more than 20 reports or recalls of pet food and RMBD in the EU because of the detection of pathogens.
Fifty-five samples from 25 brands of various meat and dog food types from 12 suppliers were screened by standard cultural methods between September 2019 and January 2020. Forty-one of the 55 samples were processed, and 14 were raw, according to the study published in the journal Eurosurveillance.
The pet industry has evolved in recent decades due to increasing pet populations, stronger human–pet bonds and demand for high-quality pet food products [1,2]. Processed pet food manufactured with various processing methods (e.g. grinding, cooking, extrusion and dehydration) has traditionally been considered microbiological safe and nutritionally suitable for feeding pets [1,3]. However, since some pet owners consider unprocessed food healthier, raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) for dogs have gained popularity [1,2,4]. The RMBDs are mainly composed of uncooked or minimally processed meat, bones and organs, with freezing as the primary treatment, and are considered to be more natural than conventional processed pet food [1,5]. Nevertheless, the scientific evidence supporting RMBD benefits is scarce, and many veterinary professional organisations (e.g. the World Small Animal Veterinary Association) and international public health agencies (e.g. the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) view them as potential health hazards for both animals and humans [1,5]; awareness of this issue appears less evident in Europe [6]. The safety concerns associated with RMBDs are related to the potential contamination of raw ingredients with zoonotic pathogenic bacteria and parasites [1,3,4]. Such contamination could lead to the spread of these pathogens to both pets and humans cohabitating with pets, through direct contact with the pet or its feed, or indirectly through contact with contaminated household surfaces or hands during feed preparation.
In the European Union (EU), legal requirements for the use of animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption are established, including those to produce processed or raw pet food, helping to ensure microbiological safety [7]. Nevertheless, since 2020, there have been more than 20 notifications or recalls of pet food and RMBD in the EU due to the detection of zoonotic pathogens, particularly Salmonella and pathogenic Escherichia coli [8], and also cases of human infections with Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) linked to exposure to RMBDs [9–11]. Several studies have also established a correlation between the microbiota of pets and their owners, including the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains, with pet food as a potential source [12,13]. However, certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes of public health concern, such as the mcr gene conferring resistance to the last-line antibiotic colistin, have not been extensively studied in pet food and RMBDs [1,14–16]. Consequently, these antibiotic-resistant strains and genes have not been recognised as notable food safety issues in the context of the pet food industry [6]. To address this knowledge gap, we aimed to investigate the occurrence of and further characterise Salmonella and other Enterobacteriaceae resistant to critical antibiotics, such as colistin, in dog food, including RMBDs, that is available in stores in Portugal to investigate if they represent a possible source of these hazards to public health.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an inspection of your pet food manufacturing facility located at 1245 Trapp Road, Suite 160, Eagan, Minnesota, on August 29 through September 12, 2023, in follow-up to an Untitled Letter issued to you on September 2, 2022.
During the inspection FDA collected a sample (FDA sample #1214888) of your in-process Woody’s Pet Food Deli Raw Free Range Turkey with Supplements pet food for dogs and cats, lot code 08/31/24, from your facility. FDA laboratory analysis revealed this product was contaminated with Salmonella Reading and Listeria monocytogenes. Based on the analytical results, FDA considers the sampled product lot to be adulterated in that it bears or contains a poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health.1 On September 19, 2023, you voluntarily disposed of Woody’s Pet Food Deli Raw Free Range Turkey with Supplements pet food for dogs and cats, lot code 08/31/24.
Also, during the inspection FDA’s investigators found evidence of a significant violation of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals requirements, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR), Part 507, which causes your raw pet food products to be adulterated.2
Validated alternative test methodologies may be used in place of culture-based methods recommended for environmental monitoring programs (EMPs) for Listeria in food production facilities. In order to help guide decisions on which testing method to use to simplify Listeria EMP implementation in food production facilities, alternative methods were compared to the culture-based method in actual EMPs for Listeria. Seventy-two samples collected from two facilities of souzai production businesses that use meat and meat products as ingredients, one facility of processed meat product production business, and one facility of processed meat product and souzai production business were applied to EMPs for Listeria using the culture-based method, 3MTM Molecular Detection System (MDS), and InSite L. mono Glo (InSite). The kappa coefficient in MDS was 0.65 for Listeria monocytogenes and 0.74 for Listeria spp., both of which were deemed substantial compared with the culture-based method. The kappa coefficient in InSite was −0.01 for L. monocytogenes and 0.50 for Listeria spp., which indicated poor and moderate reproducibility, respectively. When the medium of InSite was smeared on agar medium, 7 of the 19 samples tested positive only for Listeria spp. (negative for L. monocytogenes) but L. monocytogenes was cultured, indicating that the sensitivity of detecting L. monocytogenes via fluorescence may be low. MDS was considered a useful alternative for both L. monocytogenes and Listeria spp. as targets, and InSite was not possible as a substitute for detecting L. monocytogenes; however, it is considered a helpful alternative method for detecting Listeria spp. EMPs for Listeria often target Listeria spp. as an indicator of L. monocytogenes. The alternative methods studied in this study are rapid, simple, and useful in EMPs for Listeria. However, the data in this study were a comparatively small sample set and impacted by variability, so more robust comparisons are desirable in the future.
On January 27, 2024, Viva Raw Pets voluntarily recalled their Viva Duck for Dogs (Ground), Viva Duck for Dogs (Chunked), Viva Duck for Cats and Viva Pure Duck lines from lot #22853. Visit Petful for current Viva Raw Pets Recall and historical recall information.
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