FDA Issues ‘Do Not Feed’ Advisory on Pet Food Products: Here’s What We Know

Certain Answers pet food products were voluntarily withdrawn from the market over listeria and salmonella presence, said the FDA and Answers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a notice on its website that dogs should not be fed certain types of food because of the presence of two types of bacteria.

The federal health regulator said on Sept. 23 that it is “cautioning pet owners” after samples of two Answers Pet Food products tested positive for salmonella, a third tested positive for listeria, and a fourth tested positive for both.

Products That Are Affected

The products were sold in frozen four-pound, or half-gallon, cartons and have batches of Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Detailed Formula for Dogs, Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Straight Formula for Dogs, and Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs, according to the notice. The products have been sold online and through various retailers across the United States.

“These products should not be fed to pets,” the notice said.

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Affected products can be identified by a “Best Used By Date” sticker on the carton of the product, the FDA said.

They include Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Detailed Formula for Dogs with a UPC/bar code number of 856554002102 and “Best Used by Date” of May 6, 2026; Answers Pet Food Raw Beef Straight Formula for Dogs with a UPC/bar code number of 856554002072 and a “Best Used by Date” of Jan. 31, 2026; Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs with a UPC/bar code number of 856554002065 and a “Best Used by Date” of Jan. 2, 2026; and Answers Pet Food Straight Chicken Formula for Dogs with a UPC/bar code number of 856554002065 and a “Best Used by Date” of March 11, 2026.

Withdrawal, Not Recall

In its advisory, the FDA said it recommended that Answers recall the products and said that the “firm has not initiated an adequate recall of the affected products” to date. The agency issued a separate notice indicating that Answers voluntarily withdrew the products.

The company, in a statement posted on its website on Sept. 22, said that it is “voluntarily withdrawing certain lots” of Answers products after samples collected by the FDA tested positive for both listeria and salmonella.

The company has not recalled the product but said it is a voluntary withdrawal. A market withdrawal is not the same thing as a recall, according to the FDA’s website, which said that it is when a firm initiates a “removal or correction of a distributed product” or “involves a minor violation that would not be subject to legal action by the FDA.”

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The FDA defines a recall as a “marketed product that the FDA considers to be in violation of the laws it administers.”

No illnesses associated with the recalled lots have been confirmed, Answers said.

In the statement, the company detailed the risks posed by the two pathogens to both pet and human health. However, it did not make a statement regarding the FDA’s claim that the “firm has not initiated an adequate recall of the affected products.”

Answers said that it will “continue investigating this FDA report pursuing its number one priority to bring healthy, safe, truly raw pet food products to market,” adding that it is working with the agency to “ensure that the highest and safest food is provided.”

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It’s not clear if the FDA will take any action against the company. The Epoch Times contacted Answers for comment on Thursday but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.

Symptoms of Salmonella

Symptoms of salmonella in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, a loss of appetite, decreased activity, abdominal pain, swollen lymph nodes, increased heart rate, and depression, according to health officials.

Severe symptoms can include persistent fever, shock, weight loss, blood loss, infections outside the intestines, diarrhea that lasts more than three to four weeks, and a miscarriage in pregnant female dogs, officials say.

The PetMD website says that owners “should promptly take their dogs to a veterinarian when diarrhea occurs with decreased appetite, lethargy, fever, and blood in the stool.”

The FDA warned that salmonella can be spread to people who handle the affected pet food or surfaces touched by the food.

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Salmonella symptoms in people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever, the agency warns.

Symptoms of Listeria

Listeria is a rare illness in dogs, but the FDA warns that it is possible. Mild symptoms can include diarrhea and vomiting, it said.

“Even if a dog is not showing symptoms, it can still be a carrier of the bacteria and spread it to humans,” the notice said, adding that owners of pets that consume the affected Answers products “are encouraged to consult their veterinarian if symptoms exist.”

It further warned that people can contract listeria by handling contaminated pet food or touching surfaces exposed to the bacteria.

Symptoms in people can include fever, headache, muscle aches, stiff neck, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, the FDA said.

Young children, elderly people, pregnant women, and people who are immuno-compromised can be particularly susceptible to being infected with the listeria bacteria, it said.