# "Never" Been Recalled ?



## Gebo (Apr 16, 2012)

As of Oct 2012, which Dog Foods have never been recalled? I am assuming this is a pretty short list.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Without answering your question, I'd like to point out that many, if not most, pet food recalls are voluntary. The companies choose to recall at all, or recall a broader range of brands/formulas than the problem affected, out of an abundance of caution. In other words, a company not recalling foods might just mean they're glossing over their problems, not that they don't have any problems. On the flipside, a company with a recall might have done so because they wanted to acknowledge a manufacturing problem and make sure no pets or people got sick. "Never been recalled" isn't a super helpful metric. You really have to look into the specifics of the recall and think about whether the company is a good corporate citizen.


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## Gebo (Apr 16, 2012)

Understood. You make a great point! I am purchasing 2 puppies next week for a lot of money and I want to minimize any food related problems. I would still like to know which companies have never had a recall. Are there any at all? I think most Canadian manufacturers have never been recalled, e.g., Orijen, Acana, Nature's Logic. I'd like to have more choices for food although these are great.

If you want to note a particular company did a "voluntary" recall, I'm perfectly good with that. Actually, that would be extremely helpful.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

There is one food that is demonized more than any other but has ironically never been recalled. Hill's.


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## Gebo (Apr 16, 2012)

Mr. V said:


> There is one food that is demonized more than any other but has ironically never been recalled. Hill's.


Very Interesting....


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## Salina (Sep 2, 2012)

the lady at my local store said fromm never had a recall. don't know if its true..


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Mr. V said:


> There is one food that is demonized more than any other but has ironically never been recalled. Hill's.


Really now? http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scrip...rand_list.cfm?Trade_Name=SCIENCE DIET&pet=Cat
You could say "but that's all canned cat food!!1!" Which is true, but, as a brand, they have had recalls.

Any brand you're considering, you can look it up on the FDA website to see what recalls have been issued. Plus, I think all recent recalls have been "voluntary" (in that they made the recall before being forced to) so that won't be much to go on.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

As far as I know Earthborn Holistics has never had a recall either. Their Primitive Naturals formula is pretty good.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

I'm pretty sure Annamaet has never had a recall. They used to have it printed on their website, but the site was recently redesigned and I can't find the claim anymore. They haven't had a recall in the meantime.


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## saitenyo (Sep 9, 2011)

Going by recall status alone won't necessarily minimize any problems. Just make sure you're looking at the nutritional quality of the food as well, as ultimately that's probably even more important than whether or not the brand has ever issued a recall.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

I honestly don't care too much about recall status.
Think of it this way. A recall is when they made a mistake big enough that they have to do something about it. Smaller newer companies will naturally have had less chance to make those mistakes. Does that really say anything about how likely they're going to make a mistake in the future?


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## shellbeme (Sep 9, 2010)

Fromm is the one that I think of, I really like that company.

Recalls matter to me, to a point. I would not want to purchase anything made in a diamond facility, I have started trying to find out more about where ingredients come from, and where foods are made. Diamond has had far too many recalls and the reports on their plants are disgusting.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Yeah, I'd like to think that a smaller company that says it has strict quality standards has better quality control than some of the other companies/factories that produce tons of different foods. I'm sure problems can still crop up, but I just feel better feeding my dog something that has a good track record and whose owner seems dedicated to the quality of their food (as opposed to one from a big corporation). I switched from a Diamond food (TotW) for exactly that reason about a month before the last big recall, and have been happy to pay about $10 more every 2 months for some peace of mind.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Regarding Diamond, they've had 2 recalls as far as I know which may be "too many". The recalls themselves don't bother me even though the first one was for a pretty serious toxin. The FDA inspection is more telling.

Are smaller companies easier to keep track of when it comes to sanitation? Probably, that doesn't mean they actually do have better regulations. It could also mean since they're not bringing in as much profit, they cut more corners on ingredients and charges more. You can't really argue that Diamond makes some of the most affordable widely available food. I consider TotW formula wise to be better than any Fromm formula for example. I've never bought Fromm or really seen it around here so I can't comment on cost.

Is there a list of FDA inspection of every petfood plant? If so, I'd definitely judge a food based on the condition of the plants. Just recalls alone? There can be various reasons that a bad company would still have no recalls.


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## shellbeme (Sep 9, 2010)

Diamond has far more recalls then the several that were recent, I tried to find a nice list to post and I thought I had seen one once but I can not find it. No matter, a search of the FDA website will bring up numerous articles and recall lists over time some examples, (sorry if any are repeats):

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Diamond Pet Food&pet=Dog

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/brand_list.cfm?brand=Diamond Pet Food&pet=Dog

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ArchiveRecalls/2005/ucm111929.htm

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm048391.htm


http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm192404.htm


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Ah yes I forgot the 2007 recall. The cat one I also didn't know since I don't have cats.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

add Brothers Complete (www.BrothersComplete.com) to Fromm, Annamaet and Earthborn as ones who have had no recalls. Neither has The Honest Kitchen but it's a dehydrated, not a kibble.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

Willowy said:


> Really now? http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scrip...rand_list.cfm?Trade_Name=SCIENCE DIET&pet=Cat
> You could say "but that's all canned cat food!!1!" Which is true, but, as a brand, they have had recalls.


Yes, Really.

Oh, ok. I'll bring it up on catforums.com.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Science Diet has only voluntarily recalled their food. They've never been recalled. 
Interestingly enough, they have the best manufacturing facility and that's where ALL Science Diet is made ( I think they have two facilities). They have better quality ingredients (as in individual ingredient's quality) than most 'grain free' brands. Their chicken is tested and inspected before being used in the food, as is every other ingredient. They once turned away a shipment of corn because it wasn't good quality, and Frito Lay bought and used the corn for our chips instead. Science diet gets a lot of criticism from people that know nothing about the company or the food except for the ingredients.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

By the way, all of the new brands that people are listing that haven't had recalls, haven't had recalls simply because they're new. I wouldn't use it as an indicator of company quality.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Hallie said:


> Science diet gets a lot of criticism from people that know nothing about the company or the food except for the ingredients.


So . . . If we can just ignore the ingredients, it's a wonderful food?

I know that's not what you meant. It just struck me as an interesting statement.


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## luvmyfurballs (Mar 5, 2012)

Hallie said:


> By the way, all of the new brands that people are listing that haven't had recalls, haven't had recalls simply because they're new. I wouldn't use it as an indicator of company quality.


My dogs are on Fromm and this company has been around since 1904--that isn't new. I base my choice on the fact that this is a smaller company with a real good track record when it comes to not having any recalls.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

RonE said:


> So . . . If we can just ignore the ingredients, it's a wonderful food?
> 
> I know that's not what you meant. It just struck me as an interesting statement.


No, that's not what I meant at all. I struggled trying to find a better way to word it.
I don't feed Science Diet just because of the cost vs. the ingredients. I won't pay $15 for a bag of wheat, and I don't like the low protein or the concentration of plant matter vs. meat for my super high energy dog.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

luvmyfurballs said:


> My dogs are on Fromm and this company has been around since 1904--that isn't new. I base my choice on the fact that this is a smaller company with a real good track record when it comes to not having any recalls.


I wasn't referring to Fromm, or any dog food in particular.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

RonE said:


> So . . . If we can just ignore the ingredients, it's a wonderful food?
> 
> I know that's not what you meant. It just struck me as an interesting statement.


I don't think we should totally ignore ingredients, but I also think choosing a trustworthy company FIRST is more important.

I don't care if a food has the "sexiest" looking ingredient list out there, if it's made at a facility with a horrible quality control track record, lots of recalls, bad customer service, etc, etc, etc... I would choose a food with corn and wheat in it first, if they were my only choices.

I don't feed Science Diet, and most likely wouldn't, but I've changed my mind about them as of late. I'm not sure the ingredients we're been almost "trained" by the internet to hate are quite as bad as some think.


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## shellbeme (Sep 9, 2010)

Jacksons Mom said:


> I don't think we should totally ignore ingredients, but I also think choosing a trustworthy company FIRST is more important.
> 
> I don't care if a food has the "sexiest" looking ingredient list out there, if it's made at a facility with a horrible quality control track record, lots of recalls, bad customer service, etc, etc, etc... I would choose a food with corn and wheat in it first, if they were my only choices.
> 
> I don't feed Science Diet, and most likely wouldn't, but I've changed my mind about them as of late. I'm not sure the ingredients we're been almost "trained" by the internet to hate are quite as bad as some think.


I agree 110%


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Jacksons Mom said:


> I don't think we should totally ignore ingredients, but I also think choosing a trustworthy company FIRST is more important.
> 
> I don't care if a food has the "sexiest" looking ingredient list out there, if it's made at a facility with a horrible quality control track record, lots of recalls, bad customer service, etc, etc, etc... I would choose a food with corn and wheat in it first, if they were my only choices.
> 
> I don't feed Science Diet, and most likely wouldn't, but I've changed my mind about them as of late. I'm not sure the ingredients we're been almost "trained" by the internet to hate are quite as bad as some think.


I was hoping you'd stop by. 

I know you've done lots of research about recalls, quality control, etc similar to what I have done. It's quite shocking what you find out about companies that seem to have the 'best' food.


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

Jacksons Mom said:


> I don't think we should totally ignore ingredients, but I also think choosing a trustworthy company FIRST is more important.


Hmm I'm kind of in the opposite boat. I would care about the food before the company.

Essentially you think that a trustworthy company says more about the quality of the food as a whole more than the ingredients and makeup of the food right?

I don't think there's a clear cut right or wrong way to see these things since there's obviously a balance of what's more important, ingredients or company. Still if the only foods I could choose from was Diamond products and Hills products, I would definitely feed TotW.

Edit: @Hallie or whoever else might know, you mentioned how hills has a good policy for inspecting their ingredients. Purely out of curiosity, do you know what the levels of some corn and grain related toxins like aflatoxin are in their foods? I know the FDA has a maximum allowed level for these kinds of things (like ethoxyquin) for pet food. Does hills inspect their ingredients to simply to make sure they meet the FDA requirements or are they more strict about it?


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## ghermine (Oct 9, 2012)

Gebo said:


> As of Oct 2012, which Dog Foods have never been recalled? I am assuming this is a pretty short list.


Life's Abundance food, treats, grooming products, supplements have never been recalled.

All FDA recalls are voluntary. Food is contaminated most often because it is distributed to big box stores via warehouses that are not climate controlled and have pigeons or other pests that contaminate the food.

Life's Abundance food is distributed directly to the customer from online distributors, reducing the chances of contamination. For me, what's important is that they are privately owned and don't have to take short cuts to push up share holder value and profits. Dr. Bicks and the founders started the company so they could put in place practices to safe guard our fur babies!
I order here http://fifiandfido.com/


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