Evanger’s and Against The Grain Recalls ( 02/17)
Evanger’s and Against the Grain recalled due to pentobarbital
Dogfood.guru is advising dog lovers that certain lots of Evanger’s and Against the Grain canned dog food have been recalled due to the presence of pentobarbital. Pentobarbital can be deadly if ingested. The FDA is investigating.
For years there has been speculation that pentobarbital could be found in some pet foods. Pentobarbital is the drug used by veterinarians to painlessly euthanize some animals, including pet cats and dogs. The FDA investigated these concerns in 1998 and 2002 and reported that, although low levels of pentobarbital might be present in some pet foods, it should not be enough to harm pets. Obviously, most pet owners would not want to find any pentobarbital in their pet’s food, even in low levels, and the FDA agrees. In order for pentobarbital to make pets sick or kill a dog it would have to be present in a higher amount. There is no acceptable level of pentobarbital in pet foods. Even the smallest amount makes the foods adulterated and unfit for sale.
Evanger’s and Against the Grain Recalls
Unfortunately, in February 2017, Evanger’s and Against The Grain both had recalls because pentobarbital was found in their foods. The companies have related ownership and appear to have been buying meat ingredients from the same sources. In one case, several dogs became ill and one dog died after eating some of the food from Evanger’s. The FDA has issued a caution to pet owners about feeding these products.
Hunk of Beef
12 ounce can
Lots: 1816E03HB, 1816E04HB, 1816E06HB, 1816E07HB, and 1816E13HB
Codes: Best By June 2020
The second half of the barcode reads 20109 and can be found on the back of the product label.
Evanger’s Braised Beef
12 ounce can
Item #20107
Manufactured between December 2015 and January 2017, expiration dates of December 2019 through January 2021.
If pet owners have cans with the lot numbers included in the recall they should return the cans to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions about Evanger’s products may contact the company at 1-847-537-0102 between 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central Time, Monday – Friday.
Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs
12 ounce can
Lot: 2415E01ATB12
Codes: Best By December 2019
The second half of the UPC code is 80001 which can be found on the back of the product label.
Against the Grain Pulled Beef
12 ounce can
Item #80001
Manufactured between December 2015 and January 2017, expiration dates of December 2019 through January 2021.
If you have a can of the food with this lot number you should return it to the original place of purchase. It will be replaced with a case of Against The Grain pet foods of your choice for your inconvenience.
For any questions about Against The Grain products customers may contact the company at 708-566-4410 between 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM Central Time, Monday – Friday.
The products were distributed online and through independent pet stores nationwide.
You should note that Evanger’s initially put out statements about the recall which contained inaccurate information. You should disregard those statements.
FDA investigation of Evanger’s
The FDA has set up a question and answer page for questions about Evanger’s dog and cat food. According to the FDA, in reviewing Evanger’s records, they determined that the meat was “inedible hand deboned beef,” labeled “FOR PET FOOD USE ONLY. NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.” The supplier did not have a grant of inspection from the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). (FSIS is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States’ commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.) Evanger’s records indicated that the beef from their supplier was not a human grade meat product. The FDA was unable to determine from available records whether any other Evanger’s or Against the Grain products made with beef contain any of the beef that went into the recalled products.
Evanger’s is also a contract manufacturer for other companies and the FDA is working to determine if those companies received any of the affected product. The FDA is continuing to investigate. You can see their inspection observations here.
The FDA’s preliminary assessment suggests that none of Evanger’s beef suppliers are USDA-FSIS registered facilities.
According to the FDA they have so far received 10 complaints about Evanger’s products related to this matter. Five of the complaints suggest pentobarbital poisoning. Most complaints relate to the Hunk of Beef product but one is related to Evanger’s Braised Beef Chunks in Gravy for Dogs.
Animals that have been chemically euthanized are NOT allowed to be processed or included in pet or other animal foods. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to take the appropriate steps to ensure that the food they produce is safe for consumption and properly labeled. There is no acceptable level of pentobarbital in pet foods.
The FDA did perform a DNA analysis of the recalled products. They were found to contain beef. They did not contain DNA from cats or dogs. They may or may not have contained horse meat, depending on whether you believe Evanger’s (beef and horse meat) or the FDA (only beef). It’s not common to euthanize cattle with pentobarbital but companion horses are sometimes euthanized with the drug, so horse meat is one possible way that pentobarbital could have gotten into the pet food.
According to Evanger’s, this is the first recall for the company in 82 years. However, there have been instances of so-called “silent” recalls of Evanger products. In 2009 some cans of their chicken products were removed from store shelves because of metal tags found in the products – ID tags from chicken legs that had not been removed before processing. There may have been a silent recall in 2013 because of rusty cans. The company denies it but circumstances suggest otherwise. The company has had a history of problems with the FDA in the past.
Although Evanger’s co-packs for other pet food companies, so far there have not been any other recalls involving pentobarbital, other than Against The Grain canned foods – and that company is owned by close family connections to Evanger’s owners.
