Recalls of Aflatoxin-Contaminated Dog Food Have Begun

Recalls of Aflatoxin-Contaminated Dog Food Have Begun

 

First let me give you the definition of aflatoxins.   Aflatoxins are toxins produced by a mold that grows in nuts, seeds, and legumes. 
The mold that produces aflatoxin may be found in the following foods:

• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Tree nuts such as pecans
• Corn
• Wheat
• Oil seeds such as cottonseed

 

Reuters reports high levels of aflatoxins have been discovered in bags of dog food in grocery stores in Iowa. And according to Michael Wright, the CEO of Pro-Pet, a pet food company in Ohio that recently learned some of its product was contaminated with aflatoxins, “Last year’s corn crop – it’s a huge issue. We test every load coming in. And we reject a lot of loads.”

The last week of February, the Hy-Vee Inc. grocery chain recalled five different products in its private dog food line due to high levels of aflatoxins in the corn used in the formulas. The dog food was produced at a Kansas City Pro-Pet plant and distributed across eight Midwestern states.

The behavior of the A. flavus and A. parasiticus molds makes it very difficult to control or minimize aflatoxin contamination, or to accurately assess the extent of the problem. There can be pockets of plants that are heavily contaminated, while the rest of the crop is relatively mold-free, so analyzing occasional random samples of corn plants can give misleading results.

The corn used had been tested before it was added to the dog food, and the finished product was also tested.   Somehow,  the contamination wasn’t discovered until a random bag was pulled from a store shelf in Iowa by an inspector for the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Hy-Vee officials have pulled the dog food as a precautionary measure.   No illnesses have been reported.  The dog food was distributed to Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin between October 26, 2012 and January 11, 2013.

If you have purchased a recalled bag of food, you should stop feeding it to your pet.  You may also return the food to the store.  They will give you a full refund for unopened or opened bags.