Following an investigation brought on by the recall of dog food products that contained toxic amounts of vitamin D, the Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Hill’s Pet Nutrition in November.
When the FDA discovers that a manufacturer has flagrantly broken one of the agency’s rules, it sends a warning letter. The letter makes it clear that the company must fix the issue and gives the company instructions and a deadline for informing FDA of its plans to address any issues.
The organization claims that Hill’s failed to consistently adhere to company policies for ensuring the quality of ingredients in its pet foods. Hill’s claims that it has already addressed the FDA’s concerns in order to prevent future issues with its food ingredients.
The FDA letter describes the findings of the investigation, which included inspections of the business’ manufacturing facility in Topeka, Kansas. Hill’s voluntary recall of 86 product lots, including 33 different varieties of its canned dog food products, prompted the investigation. The recall began in January of last year, and in the spring it eventually included more products and product lots. The goods were created by Hill’s and sold under the Hill’s Prescription Diet and Hill’s Science Diet names. In total, the recalls affected nearly 22 million cans, or slightly more than 1 million cases, of dog food. The recall did not affect any treats, cat foods, or dry foods.
The FDA agreed with Hill’s findings that the company produced and sold pet food products with unsafe levels of vitamin D. In addition, the FDA agreed with Hill’s conclusion that the unsafe vitamin D levels were caused by an ingredient that Hill’s received and accepted from a supplier in the form of a vitamin premix “in a manner not in accordance with your receiving procedures, and that was subsequently incorporated in the animal food products,” as stated in the letter.
Before being unloaded at the company’s manufacturing facility, Hill’s standard operating procedures required that raw materials such as the vitamin premix be analyzed and verified to be secure. However, the FDA investigation discovered that neither the vitamin premix nor the finished product had been examined to make sure they complied with Hill’s exact formulation. Additionally, Hill’s neglected to request certificates of analysis from the vitamin premix supplier.
The FDA stated in a letter to the company that “the risk of vitamin D toxicity was not adequately managed at your receiving step as a result of your failure to follow your food safety plan.” “A systematic failure of your food safety plan occurred that led to the recall of canned dog food as a result of your failure to consistently implement your pre-requisite program,” the letter reads. ”.
Tested lots of recalled products had vitamin D levels that were more than 33 times the safe upper limit.
Since Hill’s corrective actions don’t “address the root cause of this incident, which was accepting an ingredient without confirming that it contained vitamin levels that were within specification as required by your procedures,” the FDA claims in its letter that it is unable to evaluate Hill’s corrective actions fairly. The FDA claims that during a subsequent inspection, it will confirm Hill’s proposed voluntary corrective actions, which were submitted in March, May, and August of last year.
“We sincerely care about every pet and are dedicated to giving pet parents safe, high-quality products.” Hill’s has already addressed the issues raised by the FDA in its warning letter and implemented stricter procedures to prevent the cause of the recall from occurring again. For example, Hill’s tests every vitamin premix lot before it is delivered to us by a certified, third-party laboratory, and our quality and food safety experts review the results after they are delivered directly to Hill’s. At our facilities, no vitamin premix is accepted without a Certificate of Analysis certifying that it has been properly formulated. We are dedicated to maintaining the quality of our products and gaining the confidence of pet parents.
Has Hill’s Science Diet Ever Been Recalled?
Yes. Hill’s Science Diet has experienced several recalls in recent years.
The most recent recall was in January 2019, when Hill’s Pet Nutrition recalled 22 million cans of 33 different varieties of canned dog food due to toxic levels of Vitamin D that Hill’s attributed to a “supplier error.” ”.
Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet brand lines were both recalled. However, the recall did not cover dry foods, cat foods, or pet treats.
Numerous dogs reportedly perished after consuming the contaminated dog food. Families who spoke with Petful described how their dogs had been in excellent health, but that within a few days, their pets’ health had drastically declined, leading to kidney issues, kidney failure, and in some cases, death.
According to lawyer Nyran Rose Rasche, “We believe that hundreds, if not thousands of pets have died or become seriously ill as a result of eating Hill’s foods with toxic levels of Vitamin D.”
Following an investigation into that recall, the U. S. Hill’s failed to adhere to its own procedures, according to a warning letter that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published (archived here). The FDA stated that the recall of canned dog food was caused by a systemic failure of your food safety plan.
Hill’s was compelled by the FDA to take corrective action and warned about upcoming inspections.
Hill’s responded, “We deeply care about all pets and are committed to offering pet parents safe and high-quality products.” … We continue to assist the FDA with all inspections and information requests. ”.
A consolidated lawsuit with about 300 named plaintiffs is being overseen by the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. The case is called In Re: Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. Dog Food Products Liability Litigation, case number 2:19-md-02887.
Read our article about the 2019 Science Diet/Prescription Diet recall to learn more about how families were horrified and devastated.
Hill’s started a market withdrawal (not a recall) of some Hill’s Science Diet canned pet foods in November 2015 for unknown reasons. A notice placed in a few PetSmart retail locations informed us of this.
Hill’s customer service told a customer who inquired about the market withdrawal’s cause that they “don’t have that information” but added that the products were “perfectly safe.” ”.
According to the FDA’s definition, a market withdrawal is issued when products have minor issues, like a labeling error, as has been theorized in this case.
62 bags of Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food were recalled in California, Hawaii, and Nevada in June of the previous year due to possible salmonella contamination.
In March 2007, Hill’s Science Diet was one of more than 100 brands included in a wide-ranging recall of pet food that the FDA and other food safety officials determined may contain melamine — a chemical used in plastics manufacture. Every single can of Hill’s Science Diet Savory Cuts cat food was recalled. Thousands of pets died in the wake of the Menu Foods/melamine recalls.
To find earlier Hill’s Science Diet recalls, our research team spent hours searching databases and news archives. Although we couldn’t find any, we did learn about another troubling period in the history of this pet food.
Thousands of cats were dying every year from DCM, the fatal heart condition, as a result of an apparent taurine deficiency in popular cat foods at the time, according to a study that appeared in the journal Science in August 1987.
In the study, Dr. Paul D. Pion, DVM, DACVIM, and others studied cats with DCM who had been fed well-known commercial cat foods like:
It seemed too coincidental that the cats had taurine deficiencies. It was obvious that cats required more taurine than was currently being provided by the foods.
Pet food manufacturers like Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Ralston Purina had already started modifying their recipes to include higher levels of taurine by the time the ground-breaking Science article was published.
No recall was ever issued, to our knowledge. However, the recipe modifications resulted in a marked decline in the prevalence of DCM in cats. DCM was found in only 6% of cat patients in a 1990 follow-up study using data from 2 veterinary hospitals, compared to 28% of cats brought into the hospitals prior to the recipe changes.
Speaking at a 2019 “Science of Cats” summit, Dr. During the time leading up to their Science article’s publication, Pion and his coworkers had to deal with “legal and other manipulations and threats from pet food companies trying to distance themselves.” ”.
He remembered how a representative from Hill’s Pet Nutrition “took the aggressive stance that this couldn’t be related to their diets and suggested, with impolite words, that our group was foolish and irresponsible for pursuing these investigations.” ”.
And then, Dr. Pion continued, “We started getting letters from their attorneys as other pet food companies were similarly implicated. ”.
He added, “I am glad that after this and other incidents, including the melamine pet food incident of 2007, our colleagues at pet food companies have frequently chosen to take a more collaborative and open-minded approach when veterinarians suggest there may be a problem related to diets. ”.
Each Hill’s Science Diet recall is listed in full detail below.
List of Hill’s Science Diet Recalls
Cause: Elevated levels of Vitamin D. Announcement: FDA report dated Jan. 31, 2019 (archived here), and a May 15, 2019 update to the company website (archived here). What was recalled: The following Hill’s Science Diet canned dog foods were recalled in the United States:
Also to be noted is the recall of Hill’s Prescription Diet canned dog food. See our Prescription Diet page for details.
Of special note to anyone outside the United States:
Cause: Unknown “minor” issue, but possibly labeling issues. Announcement: Notice posted in select PetSmart stores, Nov. 28, 2015 (archived here). Technically, this wasn’t a recall at all—it was a market withdrawal. When a product has a minor infraction that would not warrant FDA legal action, the FDA states that a market withdrawal occurs. The company recalls the product or makes the necessary corrections. ”.
The following canned dog foods with date codes were all withdrawn:
Additionally, one brand of canned cat food had all of its date codes withdrawn:
Cause: Potential for salmonella. Announcement: FDA report dated June 2, 2014 (archived here). What was recalled was Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food in the following size: 15 with the “best by” date and production code of #08 2015 M094. 5 lb. bags with SKU #9097 (distributed in California, Hawaii and Nevada).
Cause: Melamine. FDA report from March 16, 2007, which is archived here, and a company announcement from March 27, 2007, both of which are archived here. All Hill’s Science Diet Savory Cuts canned cat foods were recalled, and they included the following in both 3 oz. and 5 oz. sizes:
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Q: Why did you not recall all of your foods as soon as you knew there was an issue in January 2019?
A: After the January 31, 2019, recall, we conducted a thorough investigation and learned that the vitamin premix was also used in other canned dog food products. Which is why on March 20, 2019, we increased the recall. Most of our products were not impacted by this recall and are being fed to cherished pets safely and effectively, so we don’t routinely recall food.
FAQ
What Science Diet dog food is on recall?
Locate affected U. S. See the table below for details on the items that were recalled in 2019:Product NameSKU NumberHill’s® Science Diet® Adult Chicken & Beef Entrée Dog Food 13oz7040Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult Light with Liver Dog Food 13oz7048Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult 7+ Chicken & Barley Entrée Dog Food 13oz7055
Is there a recall on Hills Science Diet dog food?
A: Due to elevated levels of vitamin D, Hill’s began voluntarily recalling some of its canned dog food products on January 31, 2019. Only specific canned dog foods from Hill’s Prescription Diet and Hill’s Science Diet were subject to the recall. No dry foods, cat foods or treats are affected.
Has Science Diet ever had a recall?
Findings of the FDA The goods were produced by Hill’s and sold under the brands Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet. In total, the recalls affected nearly 22 million cans, or slightly more than 1 million cases, of dog food. The recall did not affect any treats, cat foods, or dry foods.
How many recalls has Hill’s Science Diet has?
There have been 2 recalls for Hill’s Prescription Diet that we are aware of. The most recent recall was in January 2019, when Hill’s Pet Nutrition recalled 22 million cans of 33 different varieties of canned dog food due to toxic levels of Vitamin D that Hill’s attributed to a “supplier error.” ”.