Pedigree Pet Food Recall History

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Has Pedigree Ever Been Recalled?

Yes, Pedigree has been recalled many times throughout its history. The most recent set of recalls occurred in August of 2014 due to the presence of small metal fragments in dry dog food.

Prior to the August 2014 recall, Pedigree was recalled for another foreign material incident dating back to June 30, 2012. In addition, Pedigree has been recalled twice due to potential salmonella contamination.

The Pedigree dog food brand is owned by Mars, Incorporated. Mars is one of the largest produces of pet food products. Here are some other brands owned by Mars Petcare: Nutro, Royal Canin, Greenies, Iams, Eukanauba, and others.

List of Pedigree Recalls

August 31, 2014

Pedigree has expanded the recall that was issued on August 26, 2014. The recall was expanded to include the 55-pound bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food products sold in Sam's Club.

The affected bags may contain small metal fragments. This foreign material may present a risk of injury if consumed.

55-pound bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food sold at Sam's Club will have the lot code 432E1KKM03 printed on the back of the bag near the UPC and a Best Before date of 8/7/15.

The affected 55-pound bags were sold between August 14 and August 30 at the following Sam's Club locations:

• Michigan: Comstock Park, Muskegon, Jackson, Roseville, Saginaw
• Saginaw: Kokomo
• Ohio: Dayton, Holland, Lima

August 26, 2014

Pedigree issued a recall for select bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog foods due to the possible presence of a foreign material. The affected products were sold between August 18 and August 25 inside 12 Dollar General stores located in Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana.

Only 15-pound bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog foods are affected by the recall. The UPC number for the affected product is 23100 10944, the lot code is 432C1KKM03, and the best by date is 8/5/15.

Affected products were sold in the following cities:

• Arkansas: Perryville, Cabot.
• Tennessee: Memphis
• Mississippi: Magnolia, Vicksburg
• Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Calhoun, Hineston, Jonesville, Pineville, Slaughter

June 30, 2012

Mars Petcare announced a voluntary recall for three varieties of Pedigree Weight Management Canned Dog Foods because of a potential choking hazard. The affected foods may contain small pieces of blue plastic.

Affected products have a lot code printed on the end of the can that begins with 209, 210, 211 or 212 and a Best Before date between 2/24/2014 and 3/23/2014. Here are the specific UPC numbers for the three types of canned food included in the recall:

• Pedigree Healthy Weight Premium Ground Entrée in Meaty Juices (UPC Code: 2310034974)
• Pedigree Weight Management Meaty Ground Dinner Beef & Liver Dinner in Meaty Juices (UPC Code: 2310001913)
• Pedigree Weight Management Meaty Ground Dinner Chicken & Rice Dinner in Meaty Juices (UPC Code: 2310023045)

September 12, 2008

Pedigree announced a recall for products manufactured at the Everson, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility. The reason for this recall was a potential salmonella contamination.

The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29, 2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Here is a list of Pedigree products that were included in the recall.

• Pedigree Large Breed Adult Nutrition (20 lbs): UPC Code 23100 29158
• Pedigree Large Breed Adult Nutrition (30.1 lbs): UPC Code 23100 31484
• Pedigree Large Breed Adult Nutrition (36.4 lbs): UPC Code 23100 31479
• Pedigree Large Breed Adult Nutrition (40 lbs): UPC Code 23100 29154
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (4.4 lbs): UPC Code 23100 05104
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (8.8 lbs): UPC Code 23100 05103
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (20 lbs): UPC Code 23100 14719
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (32 lbs): UPC Code 23100 31483
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (40 lbs): UPC Code 23100 31478
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (44 lbs): UPC Code 23100 05100
• Pedigree Small Crunchy Bites Adult Nutrition (52 lbs): UPC Code 23100 05110

August 8, 2008

Mars Petcare U.S. announced a voluntary recall for limited bags of Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites. The affected products were sold in Albertsons stores located in Southern Californian and Las Vegas, Nevada.

These Pedigree treats may be contaminated with Salmonella. There have been no complaints or report of injury resulting from the consumption or handling of the recalled Pedigree product.

Here is an except from the original press release discussing the dangers of salmonella.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Here are the identifying details for the products included in the recall:

• Name: Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunch Bites (20 lbs)
• UPC Code: 23100 14719
• Lot Code: 830BFCAT02
• Best By Date: 07/2009
• Affected Stores: Albertsons (in Southern California & Las Vegas)

Where is Pedigree Made?

Pedigree is made in factories owned by Mars Petcare. The specific locations used for Pedigree are not publicly disclosed, but we know that some Pedigree product packages display the following phrases: Made In The USA or Made In The USA & Canada.

According to the FTC, to claim that a product is made in the USA, all or virtually all parts and processes must originate in the United States. This implies that the manufacturing must occur in the United States and ingredients must be sourced domestically.

We've noticed that many Pedigree treats and wet food products do not contain this labeling. Therefore, you'd have to check the label of the individual product to determine if it's made in the United States.

Is Pedigree Pet Food Safe?

In 2014 and 2012, Pedigree issued recalls for foreign material found inside Pedigree foods. Twice in 2008, Pedigree issued recalls for a possible salmonella contamination. Overall, these are relatively minor issues. Salmonella in general is more of a threat to humans than it is to pets.

We must recognize that manufacturing errors and minor mistakes can occur for any brand. Therefore, we cannot simply assume that any brand with multiple recalls has some type of quality/safety issue. Based solely on the recall history of Pedigree, we do not have any reason to question the safety of their products.

However, we also realize that the company offers virtually no transparency regarding the origin of its ingredients or the factories used to produce Pedigree foods. Given the history of many brands owned by Mars Percare, we're concerned about these specific details.

In 2007, several brands owned by Mars were involved in the melamine contamination crisis. These brands were sourcing ingredients from Chinese vegetable protein suppliers. We have no guarantees provided by Pedigree that would assure us that ingredients are sourced from high-quality sources.

We must highlight that Pedigree uses artificial colors, artificial preservatives, anonymous meat ingredients, by-products, etc. Given that Pedigree uses these low-quality ingredients, it's certainly not a stretch to assume they would use the cheapest suppliers available.