Pet Food Recall in 20 States as Warning Issued Over Salmonella Impact

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the recall of a batch of parrot food that was sent out to distributors in 20 states after random sample testing detected the presence of salmonella.

D&D Commodities Ltd., a company that produces food for birds and other small animals, both captive and wild, announced the voluntary recall on January 4, with the FDA issuing a public announcement to this effect the following day. The product in question is the '3-D Pet Products Premium Parrot Food,' weighing 4Ib., with UPC 719195135045 and lot number 102525G.

Common salmonella infection symptoms for humans include "nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever," according to the FDA. In some cases, the bacteria can also cause "more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms." Those suffering from any of these symptoms following contact with the parrot food are advised to contact their healthcare providers.

The FDA website says that the food in question had been sent to distributors and retailers in the states of "Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Virginia." Anyone who has purchased the recalled parrot food is advised to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

The presence of salmonella in the 'Pet Products Premium Parrot Food' batch, which was produced on October 25, 2023, was discovered by a random FDA sample test on November 30. In response, the FDA said D&D Commodities Ltd. had agreed to immediately "remove the product from retail distribution centers and to fully investigate the cause."

In a statement, D&D Commodities Ltd. said it had "chosen to issue a voluntary recall of this product and is committed to providing high-quality, safe products for wild and domesticated birds and the people who love them. The company is committed to following strict protocols to ensure the safety of all who handle our products."

Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the company said: "To our knowledge, no parrots have fallen ill from consuming 3-D Pet Products Premium Parrot Food. The recent recall is in response to a positive result for Salmonella found in a random sample test collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"We are working closely with our retail partners and consumers to facilitate returns and refunds of this specific product batch. D&D Commodities is committed to following strict protocols to ensure the safety of all who handle our products, while providing high-quality, safe products for wild and domesticated birds and the people who love them."

The FDA says that salmonella "can affect animals eating the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products."

The FDA adds that pets that have been infected with salmonella "may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting." In some cases, they may only have "decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain." Anyone whose pet has had contact with the recalled product, and has any of these symptoms, is advised to speak to a vet. In the recall announcement, the FDA said that some animals can become infected with salmonella and transmit the disease while otherwise appearing healthy.

Separately on January 3, the Blue Ridge Beef pet food company announced it was expanding the recall of its 2lb. Kitten Grind, 2lb. log of Kitten Mix and 2lb. log of Puppy Mix products to an additional 16 states. Initially, the recall, announced after salmonella and listeria were found in the products, covered only Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia.

On January 3, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service announced cured meat manufacturer Fratelli Beretta USA, Inc. was recalling 11,097 pounds of Busseto Foods brand ready-to-eat charcuterie meat products as a result of possible salmonella contamination.

The following day, the FDA sent an update from its Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Team, saying the federal agency had not yet identified the products behind 45 salmonella cases across the U.S.

Update 1/9/24, 2:40 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from a D&D Commodities Ltd. spokesperson.