4health Pet Food

PetfulJune 9, 2023

⚠ Important recall information appears below.

4health pet food and treats are sold exclusively in Tractor Supply Company stores. The company itself was originally started in 1938 as a mail-order business for tractor parts.

Since those early years, Tractor Supply has grown to be one of the larger chains of retail stores aimed at offering customers in rural areas everything they need for their homes.

We have more information about the history of 4health pet food below, including up-to-date recall information.

Company History

More than 30% of Tractor Supply’s sales come from its exclusive brands, like 4health pet food, which was introduced in January 2010. The launch of 4health was highly successful — “a real home run,” in the words of one company official.

The company says its employees buy 4health for their own pets.

“Our team members own animals, and they feed the 4health-branded product,” Tractor Supply Company President Steve Barbarick told CNN in 2019. “The value of recommending — when you’re in a small box in a small community to someone like your neighbor — is incredibly powerful.”

As the 4health name suggests, the brand puts a particular emphasis on health. Its Original Adult Dog Formula “is a premium quality dry dog food, developed specifically to meet the nutritional needs of adult dog,” according to the company, which adds that the formula “provides optimal nutrition for optimal health.”

Has 4health Ever Been Recalled?

Yes, research from Petful shows that 4health pet food has been recalled at least 3 times over the years.

Most recently, our research team discovered a Class II voluntary recall of 4health canned pet food in February 2017 that has apparently never been reported publicly — until now.

Our team discovered this recall buried in a 2017 FDA Enforcement Report. According to that report, thousands of cases of 4health dog and cat foods, all packaged in 13.2 oz. cans, were recalled by manufacturer Simmons Food because of the possibility of foreign material. The recall was issued following consumer complaints about certain cans of Doctors Foster and Smith dog food, which had been manufactured in the same canning facility.

It is interesting that this recall action did not receive more media attention at the time — but not terribly surprising, given that it was found buried in a 2017 FDA Enforcement Report.

“Unlike with public warnings, the recalls listed in [an] FDA Enforcement Report are not limited to urgent situations that present serious hazards to health and are not necessarily used to alert the public about the risk or hazard of a product under recall,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Four years earlier, in March 2013, Diamond, a manufacturer of 4health, recalled several varieties of cat food including 4health because of potentially too low levels of thiamine, an essential vitamin (B1) for cats.

In May 2012, Diamond also recalled all brands of 4health pet food manufactured in its Gaston, South Carolina, facility because of potential salmonella contamination.

2019 Heart Disease Investigation

We also want to alert readers to the fact that, in late June 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified 4health as one of 16 pet food brands that may be linked to heart disease in dogs and cats. None of those 16 brands have been recalled as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation, though. Most, but not all, of the pet foods are “grain-free” and/or dry (kibble) dog food formulations.

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The FDA says this is a “complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors,” and that it cannot even be certain that diet is a cause of the heart problems.

The full list of 4health pet food recalls appears below.

List of 4health Recalls

February 2017

Cause: Possible foreign material. Announcement: FDA Enforcement Report, per Plus Media Solutions press releases dated May 31, 2017. What was recalled: The following 4health canned pet foods, no dates provided:

• 4health Chicken & Rice Formula for Dogs, 13.2 oz., UPC #7-49394-01849-8
• 4health Lamb and Rice Formula for Dogs, 13.2 oz., UPC #0-49394-01850-4
• 4health Turkey & Salmon Dinner for Cats, 13.2 oz., UPC #7-49394-04303-2

March 2013

Cause: Low thiamine levels. Announcement: FDA report dated March 10, 2013. What was recalled: 4health All Life Stages Cat Formula, 5 lb. and 18 lb. bags, Product Code #NGF0802 and “Best by” dates of either Aug. 14, 2013 or Aug. 18, 2013.

May 2012

Cause: Potential for salmonella. Announcement: FDA report dated May 5, 2012. What was recalled: All brands of 4health dry pet foods with a “Best Before” date of Dec. 9, 2012 through April 7, 2013.

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Have You Had a Problem With 4health?

1. See our reporting page for contact info.
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References

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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.