Pet owners will do whatever they can to keep their pets healthy (if you have a pet and don’t feel that way, you probably shouldn’t have a pet), and that includes providing quality food. Unfortunately for cat lovers, one of the most popular brands of cat food just issued a recall for bags that were sold across multiple U.S. states. Two lots of Meow Mix, which is a brand under the umbrella of the J.M. Smucker Company, are now subject to recall due to potential Salmonella contamination.
The food was sold at Walmart stores in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The products have a UPC code of 2927452099, a lot code of 1081804 or 1082804, and “Best by” dates of either 9/14/2022 or 9/15/2022. If you have any of the recalled food you should immediately get rid of it and stop feeding it to your pet, but because this such a serious potential contamination there are a few other steps you should also take.
The official recall bulletin doesn’t actually explain how the contamination was discovered, which is somewhat surprising. Many times, companies will explain that the contamination was detected during routine testing or perhaps after the FDA collected a random sample, but that isn’t the case this time. The one thing the company does reveal is that it hasn’t received any reports of adverse reactions to its food, so it looks like this wasn’t a case of the contamination being discovered after a bet or person had already fallen ill.
“Symptoms of Salmonella infection in cats may include vomiting or diarrhea. Some cats may not develop diarrhea, but may have a decreased appetite, fever, and excessive salivation. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. Some cats may not appear sick but can spread the infection to other animals and humans in the household.”
The symptoms are largely the same in humans, and just because you’re not actually eating the cat food (right?) doesn’t mean it’s safe to handle it, or for it to remain in your home. After disposing of the food in a way that ensures that no animals or humans will come into contact with it (wrap it up in a couple of plastic garbage bags at the very least), you need to sanitize anything the food may have touched. That includes containers you might have used to store the food, bowls or dishes that you put the food into, and even countertops that the food may have touched.
The company doesn’t say anything about a refund or reimbursement program for the tainted food, but you can contact a representative via the contact info on the recall page and they’ll likely get you sorted out.
