Anatomy of a Pet Food Recall: An Industry, Regulatory, and Consumer Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Recent, high-profile outbreaks of Salmonellosis infections and recalls associated with pet food and treats are indicative of an industry facing daunting challenges. Consumer demands are driving the pet food industry to formulate pet food products aimed at health and wellness that may sacrifice pet food safety, while the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements are putting increasing pressure on pet food manufacturers to employ comprehensive preventive measures to protect consumer and pet health. Thus, it is important to identify the next steps needed to improve collaboration among industry and regulators and the overall safety of the pet food supply chain. This study sought to identify the factors that contributed to the increase in pet food recalls between 2007-2019, providing a complete picture of the current challenges facing the pet food industry. This analysis should promote mutual understanding among the pet food industry, provide guidance for pet food manufacturers and regulatory oversight, and present data driven pet food safety information to consumers. The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) analyze trends, patterns, and the level of supply chain complexity in published pet food product recalls from 2007-2019, 2) identify the impact that regulatory oversight and zero tolerance guideline for Salmonella spp. has on pet food recalls, 3) provide recommendations and implications to industry and regulators for reducing pet food recalls while still protecting human and pet health. Pet food recall data were obtained from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts,” FDA “Enforcement Reports, and the FDA press releases. A thorough search of FDA recall data identified the occurrence of health hazards in different types of pet food, quantity of pet food product recalled, product description, and notification entity involved in each pet food recall. A methodology was created in order to take into account the multiple different scenarios that were observed in the recall process. Results show that supply chain complexity, level of regulatory oversight, magnitude of each recall based on the quantity of product recalled and market sales, and the interrelationships among notification entity, health hazard, and type of pet food are driving forces behind the overall increase in pet food recalls. Recommendations include developing and standardizing testing methods and procedures, requiring transparency into ingredient sourcing and quality to minimize large pet food recalls, utilizing advanced technologies to make the pet food supply chain safer, and having a robust environmental sanitation program. These findings allow the pet food industry and regulators to work together to make the pet food supply chain safer and reduce the total number of pet food recalls across all pet food sectors.