Toxic mold has been found in Midwestern brand pet food which has been linked to the deaths of 130 dogs, the Food and Drug Administration warned on Tuesday.
The FDA wrote that as of August 9, the agency is aware of ‘more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 pet illnesses that may be linked to eating brands of pet food manufactured by Midwestern.’
The agency issued a warning letter to the family-owned company this week after inspections at their manufacturing plants in Waverly, New York, Monmouth, Illinois and their headquarters in Evansville, Indiana.
The inspections turned up evidence of ‘significant violations,’ including unsafe levels of aflatoxin, a byproduct of mold.
Aflatoxin, which at high levels can cause sickness and death in pets, grows on corn and similar grains that are used in the production of dry pet food, according to the FDA.
The agency has yet to comment on whether or not the company is recalling any current pet food products.
‘Not all of these cases have been confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review,’ the FDA said in a statement Tuesday. ‘This count is approximate and may not reflect the total number of pets affected.’
After receiving the first complaints over deaths and illnesses in pets in December 2020, the company recalled 19 of its SPORTSMiX products over aflatoxi contamination in early January. At that point, at least 28 dogs had died and eight had fallen ill after consuming the contaminated pet food.
By January 11, Midwestern Pet Foods had expanded that recall to include all pet foods containing corn and that had been manufactured at their Oklahoma plant.
However the deaths did not end with the product recall. Just 10 days later on January 21, the FDA had received complaints of over 110 dogs that had died and more than 210 that had fallen ill due to the aflatoxi-contaminated pet food.
And in March the pet food manufacturer was forced to recall a number of products due to salmonella contamination that lead to the deaths of another 70 dogs.
The FDA wrote that as of Aug. 9, ‘more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 pet illnesses… linked to eating brands of pet food manufactured by Midwestern’
The agency tweeted out a warning letter ‘after inspections of its manufacturing sites revealed violations that likely contributed to the illness or death of hundreds of dogs’
In Tuesday’s warning letter, the agency told pet owners to look out for the aflatoxin poisoning symptoms, which include sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice (a yellowish tint to the skin, eyes, or gums due to liver damage) and diarrhea, while spelling out the terms the company must take to address the violations.
‘The FDA is dedicated to taking all steps possible to help pet owners have confidence that the food they buy for their animal companions is safe and wholesome,’ director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, Steven M. Solomon wrote of the company’s contamination.
‘We are issuing this corporate-wide warning letter because inspections of Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.’s manufacturing plants revealed evidence of violations, which were shared across multiple plants and were associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets who had eaten the company’s dry dog food.’
‘Samples of dog food were found to contain high levels of aflatoxin. It is imperative that manufacturers and distributors of pet foods understand their responsibility to comply with all requirements of federal law and FDA regulations and, when applicable, to implement a robust hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls program.’
‘We’ll continue to hold companies accountable and protect animal health as a core element of the FDA’s public health mission,’ he added.
The FDA added in a separate tweet that the pet food company had previously voluntarily recalled its SPORTMiX brand dry dog food at several of its plants due to potential salmonella
The FDA also added their terms for the company to correct the deadly violations, having requested a ‘written response from the company within 15 working days (from Tuesday) stating the specific steps they have taken to correct any violations.’
‘Failure to adequately address any violations promptly may result in legal action, including product seizure and/or injunction,’ the agency stated.
The aflatoxi recall is not the company’s first. Back in March, the company was forced to recall a number of their dog and cat food products over a possible salmonella contamination.
‘The FDA found that Midwestern’s food safety program appears inadequate to significantly minimize or prevent Salmonella in its pet food,’ the FDA said Tuesday of the March recall.
‘None of the recalled products should be available to consumers to purchase.’
The company had recalled approximately 104 products of dry dog and cat diets due to salmonella contamination made following an April 16 inspection, according to the FDA.
The company did not immediately return DailyMail.com’s request for comment as of Tuesday.