Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc., of Evansville, IN is issuing a voluntary recall of certain Sportmix dog and cat food products due to tests indicating levels of Aflatoxin that exceed acceptable limits. Products were distributed nationally to online distributors and retail stores, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food. At high levels, aflatoxin can cause illness and death in pets.
The FDA is aware of at least 28 deaths and 8 illnesses in dogs that ate the recalled product. No cat or human illnesses have been reported.
If your pet shows signs of aflatoxin poisoning including sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting jaundice (yellowish tint to the eyes, gums, or skin due to liver damage), and/or diarrhea, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. It may be helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.
Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM”.
Retailers and distributors should immediately pull recalled lots from their inventory and shelves. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Retailers are encouraged to contact consumers who have purchased the recalled products, if you have the means to do so (frequent buyer cards, etc.).
Pet parents: Do not feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animals. Destroy the products in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups and storage containers.
Contact Midwestern Pet Foods Consumer Affairs at 1-800-474-4163, ext. 455 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, or by email at info@midwesternpetfoods.com for additional information.
This is a voluntary recall conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Recalled lot codes are as follows:
- 50# Sportmix Energy Plus Lots Exp 03/02/22/05/L2, 03/02/22/05/L3, 03/03/22/05/L2
- 44# Sportmix Energy Plus Lots 03/02/22/05/L3
- 50# Sportmix Premium High Energy Lots 03/03/22/05/L3
- 44# Sportmix Premium High Energy Lots 03/03/22/05/L3
- 31# Sportmix Original Cat Lots 03/03/22/05/L3
- 15# Sportmix Original Cat Lots 03/03/22/05/L2, 03/03/22/05/L3
