A brand new White Paper, “Raw Safety: Mitigating the 20x FDA Recall Risk of Fresh Pet Food“, was lately printed in an business web site, written by a meals irradiation firm. As a result of many deceptive statements made within the paper, we assume it was printed to scare pet homeowners so badly they might be open to having a uncooked pet meals handled with irradiation.
Essentially the most regarding assertion within the White Paper is that this: “Uncooked Pet Meals Are 20x Extra Doubtless To Be Recalled.”
To make their surprising declare, the White Paper lumps pet meals into two type classes; uncooked and non-raw.
We did the identical factor. The entire information we offer right here is segmented into the identical two classes of pet meals – uncooked and non-raw.
Concerning this surprising declare “Uncooked Pet Meals Are 20x Extra Doubtless To Be Recalled”, the Irradiation Business White Paper states that “regardless of being < 10% of the market they’re answerable for ~67% of recollects, making uncooked pet meals over 20x as more likely to be contaminated with pathogens as in comparison with non-raw pet meals.”
Nonetheless, contemplating market share or not contemplating market share – irrespective of how we tried to calculate it, we couldn’t decide how they arrived at their surprising ’20x’ declare relating to the danger of uncooked pet meals.
Based mostly on FDA recall information – variety of recall incidents – and particular to pathogenic micro organism recollects from 2018 by means of 2025:
Non-raw recollects – 42%.
Uncooked recollects – 58%.
Positively NOT 20x extra.
The deceptive White Paper discusses the variety of recall incidents solely. Nonetheless, recollects can range in dimension (kilos recalled) dramatically.
As instance, in 2022 Primal Pet Food issued a recall (uncooked pet meals) for Listeria. This one specific recall concerned 2,376 kilos of pet meals.
As in comparison with…in 2021 Midwestern Pet Food issued a recall (dry pet meals) for Salmonella. This one specific recall concerned 6,509,819 kilos of pet meals.
Doubtless, six million kilos of contaminated pet meals can pose the next threat than two thousand kilos of contaminated pet meals. No matter the reason for a recall, extra kilos of pet meals recalled equals extra potential publicity to pets and folks. Basing a surprising and business damaging declare on the variety of recollects with out disclosing the precise variety of kilos of pet meals concerned in every recall is deceptive.
Based mostly on the FDA Enforcement Reviews, we now have been documenting and totaling kilos for every pet meals recall since 2012.
After we complete the kilos of pet meals recalled for pathogenic micro organism over the identical timeframe the white paper referenced – it tells a really completely different story.
Based mostly on kilos recalled from 2018 by means of 2025 for pathogenic micro organism:
Non-raw: 8,478,207 kilos of pet meals recalled for pathogenic micro organism had been non-raw.
Uncooked: 1,512,655 kilos of pet meals recalled for pathogenic micro organism had been uncooked.
When the entire causes of recollects from 2018 by means of 2025 in kilos, once more it tells a unique story.
Based mostly on FDA Enforcement Report information, greater than 173 million kilos of non-raw pet meals had been recalled from 2018 by means of 2025, with only one.5 million kilos of uncooked pet meals recalled.
Whereas irradiation would possibly sterilize a pet meals sufficiently to forestall pathogenic micro organism recollects, irradiation can’t forestall the next non-raw pet meals recall issues that we skilled over the previous 8 years.
From 2018 by means of 2025.
Kilos of pet meals recalled for extra or inadequate nutritional vitamins or minerals, the most important instance on this timeframe was for extra vitamin D which resulted in lots of pet deaths:
Kilos of pet meals recalled for aflatoxin contamination which resulted in lots of pet deaths:
Kilos of pet meals recalled for pentobarbital contamination (the drug used to euthanize animals):
This irradiation business White Paper wants to totally clarify their math, totally clarify how they made the surprising (and damaging declare) “Uncooked Pet Meals Are 20x Extra Doubtless To Be Recalled.”
Additionally they declare within the Paper “2025 Is the Highest Variety of Preventable Pet Meals & Deal with Recollects, Ever”. Once more, we can’t clarify their math. In 2025, a complete of 166,071 kilos of pet meals and treats had been recalled. Far decrease than many different years.
Is that this Irradiation Firm attempting to shock/scare pet homeowners into trusting irradiated uncooked pet meals? Would you buy an irradiated uncooked pet meals?
Susan Thixton
Pet Meals Security Advocate
Writer Purchaser Beware, Co-Writer Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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