USA – JM Smucker, manufacturer and marketer of branded food and beverage products across the coffee, consumer foods and pet food retail chain has voluntarily recalled dog food, said to be potentially contaminated with Euthanasia, a drug used as a seductive euthanizer or anaesthetic for animals.
The voluntary recall includes specific shipments of Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘N Bits, Ol’ Roy and Skippy canned dog food.
According to JM Smucker, the contamination was as a result of a possible contamination by a single supplier at one of their manufacturing facility.
The firm was withdrawing all lots of these products that were manufactured from 2016 through the present.
“We take this very seriously and are extremely disappointed that pentobarbital was introduced to our supply chain,” said Barry Dunaway, president of J.M. Smucker’s pet food and pet snacks division, in a statement.
“We will continue to work closely with our suppliers and veterinarians to ensure the ingredients used in our products meet or exceed regulatory safety standards and our high-quality standards.”
The company urged the affected customers to dispose purchased food or contact the company where a refund or replacement for the products would be initiated.
FDA raised an alarm to pet owners about potential Euthanasia contamination in canned dog food manufactured by JM Smucker company.
It launched an investigation into the potential contamination of certain Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘N Bits, Ol’ Roy, and Skippy Products, informing the public that levels of pentobarbital found in the withdrawn cans was at a low level, and was an unlikely risk to pet health.
Despite of the recall announced on February 15, the FDA said it was aware of reports of other products also subject to withdrawal and has asked Smucker to clarify the status of the other products.
FDA added that pentobarbital should never be present in pet food, and products containing any amount of pentobarbital are considered to be adulterated.
Pets that eat food containing pentobarbital can experience drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea, eye movement in a jerky, back-and-forth manner and the inability to stand, an FDA statement reports.
