Although the company said there have been no reports of illnesses in either human or animals, it chose to take this “precautionary measure” after the Maryland Department of Agriculture discovered Listeria monocytogenes in a 15-ounce bag of Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties for Dogs.
Advertisement
Listeria bacteria was found in Stella&Chewy’s pet food product stocks, prompting a voluntary recall of some products that have been affected. Stella and Chewy’s will work close with the administration to solve the situation and get rid of the contaminated batches of pet food.
On the other hand, the company said there are no reported illnesses or deaths caused by the recalled products.
In the official announcement of the company on Saturday, July 4, its CEO Jen Guzman related how they received the mandatory stoppage of the contaminated products in the market from the state’s health authorities as of Thursday, July 2.
Listeria is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune Systems. Managers of S&C are telling the public this move was made out of an “abundance of caution” for pets and their human companions. Pregnant women who are exposed to the bacteria can suffer stillbirths and miscarriages.
Advertisement
The company said it is in the process of determining how Listeria entered its production area after the High Pressure Processing step, which inactivates Listeria. The major human pathogen in the Listeria genus is L. monocytogenes. The bacteria can be found in a number of sources, including raw meat, fish and a wide variety of vegetables, including lettuce and spinach. The notification added further that the safety and health of its customers as well as their pets were always of paramount importance to it and that the company is accountable for all that they make and are very committed to the integrity and quality of their products. Customers can return recalled products at the store of purchase for a refund.
