All Pages

Pet Food Article Categories

  • Home
  • Nutro Products Recall of Dry Cat Food Products

Nutro Products Recall of Dry Cat Food Products

Recall -- Firm Press Release http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/nutro05_09.html

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products

Contact:
Monica Barrett
Nutro Products, Inc.                      
(615) 628-5387
monica.barrett@effem.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) -- Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries.  This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected.  One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium.  Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier.  An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel.  We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile.  While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea.  If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product.  Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

Recalled Pet Food

The varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods listed below with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 are affected by this voluntary recall. 

Nutro Products Recall List – Dry Cat Foods

U.S. Product Name
Bag Size
UPC

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food
4 lbs
0 79105 20607 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Kitten Food
8 lbs.
0 79105 20608 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Kitten Food (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs.
0 79105 20695 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Kitten Food
20 lbs
0 79105 20609 9

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Kitten Food (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Adult
4 lbs
0 79105 20610 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Adult
8 lbs.
0 79105 20611 2

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Adult (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs
0 79105 20694 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult
20 lbs
0 79105 20612 9

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE®  Adult Oceanfish Flavor
4 lbs
0 79105 20622 8

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor
8 lbs
0 79105 20623 5

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor (Bonus Bag)
9.2 lbs.
0 79105 20698 3

NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor
20 lbs
0 79105 20624 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10228 5

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10229 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10230 8

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10243 8

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10244 5

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10245 2

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)
1.5 oz
none

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
3 lbs
0 79105 10246 9

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
6 lbs
0 79105 10247 6

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor
16 lbs
0 79105 10248 3

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
3 lbs
0 79105 10249 0

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
6 lbs
0 79105 10250 6

NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control
16 lbs
0 79105 10251 3

End of FDA Press Release.

Personal comment on this recall...I wonder who's story is true...Nutro and the FDA claiming there is/was no investigation or the Consumer Affairs story stating there was?

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Truth about Pet Food
Petsumer Report
www.TruthaboutPetFood.com

Are you subscribed to Truth About Pet Food Newsletter?
Receive future pet food articles and alerts delivered to your email box. Click Here to subscribe. Your privacy is guaranteed - your email address will not be sold or shared.

Does your pet’s food contain Chinese Ingredients?
Petsumer Report knows if Chinese Imports are used in over 1200 different cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. Subscribe to Petsumer Report - reporting imported or U.S. only, human quality or lesser grade, Shelf Life, and red flag pet food ingredients. 40+ new reviews added monthly. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee.  http://www.PetsumerReport.com

Follow Truth about Pet Food on Twitter.  Twitter updates now on the TruthaboutPetFood.com homepage (scroll down below Blog listing on right).  To follow TAPF on Twitter...Under People Search, look for Susan Thixton or TAPF (Truth about Pet Food was too long for Twitter).  Instant pet food updates should an emergency occur.  www.Twitter.com/TAPF

Comments (14)

Carol
Said this on 5-21-2009 At 05:22 pm
Thanks as always for posting this...consumeraffairs is off to court to appeal the decision.. time will tell....My mom always said the truth will prevail... Does give pause to all the complaints....and not just cat food I am thinking about....
Reply to this Comment
alphadog
Said this on 5-21-2009 At 10:25 pm
I'm wondering if they may have had something similar to this going on with their dry dog food in late 2006 early 2007.
Reply to this Comment
PoppityBoo
Said this on 5-22-2009 At 01:30 am
Nutro is one of the most stand-up companies around. They have been in biz over 80 years, and their commitment to pet health is obvious. Why so much negativity in this world? How about focusing on the good things this company has done, long before the nouveau designer dog and cat foods came into existence. And don't forget, Nutro voluntarily took control of this situation to assure maximum safetly for our pets. Kudos, Nutro.
Reply to this Comment
Satisfied
Said this on 5-22-2009 At 08:32 am
My cats have been eating Nutro for years. They love it and are confirmed healthy, happy felines.
Reply to this Comment
L.A.
Said this on 5-22-2009 At 01:10 pm
Nutro is now owned by Mars Inc. It's no longer family owned and operated.
Reply to this Comment
Mary
Said this on 5-22-2009 At 04:19 pm
Mars' history of repeated quality problems over many years is very disturbing.

IMHO, this is a company that doesn't walk the talk.

Not only did they fail to find defective incoming ingredients, they also failed to find defective finished products.

This clearly indicates that Mars' QA/QC protocols are deficient, and their manufacturing process is out of control.

Bad Processes = Bad Food
Reply to this Comment
Mary
Said this on 5-22-2009 At 04:33 pm
Here's a brief recall history for Mar/Effem/Nutro:

March 2004 - Pedigree Recalled in Asia (Melamine)

March 2007 - Cat Food Recall (Melamine)

August 2007 - Red Flannel & Krasdale Dog Food Recalled due to Potential Salmonella

August 2008 - Pedigree Recalled due to Potential Salmonella

September 2008 - Everson, PA Plant Contaminated with Salmonella, Dry Food Recalled

October 2008 - Special Kitty Recall (Potential Salmonella)

(Sorry, but the site won't let me post the links)
Reply to this Comment
Coopersmom
Said this on 5-24-2009 At 03:10 pm
There's a list of more Mars products to avoid here. It all adds up.

http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com/2008/02/06/petiti...
Reply to this Comment
Sandra
Said this on 5-27-2009 At 02:11 pm
Poppityboo, I keep reading this stuff all around internet land about Nutro "voluntarily" recalling the food, FYI, there is no mandatory recall for pet food so the only way to recall it is thru voluntarily recall.

My question is if they have such wonderful QC that they tout at their website, how did this product make it onto store shelves. Where was the testing of nutrient levels BEFORE, or AFTER the food was made and BEFORE it was put out to the public for sale?

Also, how come no major media venues are running this recall? How many cats are still eating this food right now?
Reply to this Comment
Mary
Said this on 6-2-2009 At 03:16 am
Any tweeple here? Nutro has PR war against pet owners on Twitter.
At twitter, search "nutro recall" to see who's tweeting.

Would appreciate all help. Pet owners need to win this one.

Please repost this on other pet forums.
Reply to this Comment
Rocky
Said this on 6-17-2009 At 06:57 am
PFPSA, recently tested the Nutro recall food and found the zinc level to be 2100 ppm.

PFPSA is the group that found high zinc in Nutro dog food in 2008, but was ignored by Nutro and FDA.

Why pet owners must do the job of both Nutro and the FDA job is beyond me.

http://www.pfpsa.org/news.html
Reply to this Comment
Lesliek
Said this on 6-18-2009 At 08:51 pm
Pet owners have to keep testing petfood & reporting it online because pfc's & gov't agencies aren't doing it . The lack of media coverage on this is appalling ! If Nutro would spend a little time & $ on testing instead of tweeting,they could make a safe food !
Reply to this Comment
Swampers
Said this on 9-27-2009 At 02:29 pm
Well that explains the problem. Seems all these human food companies are all getting into processing pet foods now. This is because they can use their scraps and waste products left over from human foods. What a money maker for them. Too bad it's killing our beloved pets! Stick with a company that makes only pet foods.
Reply to this Comment
Kat
Said this on 10-28-2009 At 09:30 am
Perhaps you were lucky enough not to purchase a bag of Nutro's Voluntarily recalled cat food, and do not have to go through thousands of dollars of vet bills due to the insane amount of zinc in their recalled food, then? They may have voluntarily recalled it but it's amazing that no one heard about the recall until their pet got sick and the food continues to be on shelves. To make it worse, Nutro will not admit any fault to animals dying and/or being sick. I will never buy another Nutro product again and will continuously steer anyone else away from buying as well.
Reply to this Comment
Post a Comment (showhide)
* Your Name:
* Your Email:
(not publicly displayed)
Reply Notification:
Approval Notification:
Website:
* Security Image:
Security Image Generate new
Copy the numbers and letters from the security image:
* Message:
Click here for a list of HTML tags permitted in comments

Email to Friend

Fill in the form below to send this article to a friend:

Email to Friend
* Your Name:
* Your Email:
* Friend's Name:
* Friend's Email:
* Security Image:
Security Image Generate new
Copy the numbers and letters from the security image
* Message: