Darwin’s Pet Food

PetfulJune 5, 2023

⚠ Important recall information appears below.

Gary Tashjian sought help to treat his 10-year-old dog Max after the dog began suffering from terrible arthritis. A holistic veterinarian recommended using a raw diet, so Tashjian began preparing the meals at home. Astonished by the positive change in Max that followed, Tashjiam began feeding raw to his other dog, Carey.

Other people were interested in seeing the same results in their dogs but claimed they did not have the time to create the raw diets. So Tashjian founded Darwin’s to create a raw product line to fill this need.

Has Darwin’s Ever Been Recalled?

Yes. The company had its first widely announced recall in December 2017, involving about 17,000 packages of raw dog food, after tests confirmed that some samples were contaminated with salmonella and listeria. However, according to an investigation by Food Safety News, contamination problems with Darwin’s pet food had been ongoing for more than a year before that recall, with at least 2 other “silent” recalls taking place during the 14 months prior. In all, according to Food Safety News, a staggering 23 tons of dog and cat food were recalled by the company during 2016–2017.

In March and February 2018, the company had other recalls. The FDA published a blistering report chronicling a “pattern of contamination” and “a history of … recalls and multiple complaints.”

In late March 2019, the FDA released a caution letter to consumers after it says Darwin’s failed to notify the general public of a recall of certain lots of Natural Selections dog food. Full details of all Darwin’s pet food recalls appear below.

List of Recalls

March 2019

Cause: Potential for salmonella. Announcement: FDA caution letter dated March 26, 2019 (archived here). What was recalled: The following raw dog foods:

• Natural Selections Chicken Recipe With Organic Vegetables: 5309(11)181019, manufactured on Oct. 19, 2018
• Natural Selections Chicken Recipe With Organic Vegetables: 5375(11)181106, manufactured on Nov. 6, 2018
• Natural Selections Turkey Recipe With Organic Vegetables: 5339(11)181026, manufactured on Oct. 26, 2018

March 2018

Cause: Potential for salmonella and E. coli. Announcement: FDA report dated March 26, 2018 (archived here). What was recalled: The following raw dog foods, sold in 2 lb. flexible film packages:

• ZooLogics Turkey Meals for Dogs, Lot #44127, manufactured Feb. 4, 2018
• ZooLogics Chicken With Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lot #4403743887, manufactured Feb. 7, 2018
• Natural Selections Chicken With Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lot #43887, manufactured Jan. 30, 2018
• Natural Selections Duck With Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lot #44147, manufactured Feb. 5, 2018

February 2018

Cause: Potential for salmonella. Announcement: Company email obtained by Petful (archived here). What was recalled: ZooLogics Chicken and Vegetable Meals for Dogs (manufactured Nov. 2, 2017) and ZooLogics Duck and Vegetable Meals for Dogs (manufactured Nov. 16, 2017)

December 2017

Cause: Potential for salmonella and listeria. Announcement: Petful verified by phone call with company, Dec. 8, 2017, as well as a report from Food Safety News dated Dec. 22, 2017. What was recalled: 2-pound packages (partitioned into 4 quadrants) of the following:

• Natural Selections Turkey With Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lots #39937 and #40507, Manufactured Aug. 24 and Sept. 20, 2017
• Natural Selections Chicken With Organic Meals for Dogs, Lot #40727, Manufactured Sept. 26, 2017
• Natural Selections Duck With Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lot #40487, Manufactured Sept. 29, 2017

September 2017

Cause: Potential for salmonella. Announcement: Report from Food Safety News dated Dec. 22, 2017. What was recalled: 2-pound packages (partitioned into 4 quadrants) of Natural Selections Duck Meals for Cats, Lot #38277, Manufactured June 1, 2017.

October 2016

Cause: Potential for listeria. Announcement: Report from Food Safety News dated Dec. 22, 2017. What was recalled: 2-pound packages of the following:

• Natural Selections Turkey With Organic Vegetable Meals for Dogs, Lot #3142070, Manufactured July 20, 2016
• Natural Selections Beef With Organic Vegetables Meals for Dogs, Lot #3146070, Manufactured July 21, 2016
• ZooLogics Turkey With Vegetable Meals for Dogs, Lot #3155070, Manufactured July 25, 2016

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About Petful

This content was written by the lead research team at Petful®, led by publisher Dave Baker, a longtime advocate for pet food safety. Our team has been tracking pet food recalls for nearly 15 years, and we spend countless hours combing through databases and news archives going back 40 years or more to bring you the most accurate pet food information possible. About 40,000 safety-conscious pet parents are subscribed to our free recall alerts, and Animal Radio has called Petful’s list of pet food recalls “the best, most complete list” online. Learn more about Petful, or explore our Pet Food Recall Center.