Natural Balance Pet Foods is again voluntarily recalling certain packages of Natural Balance Dry Dog Food. This time it’s Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food.
This is the second recall for the company founded by Dick Van Patton of Eight is Enough T.V. fame. Natural Balance began in 1989 when Van Patten was a guest on John Davidson’s show.
On the 16th of April, 2007 the FDA was informed by Natural Balance that they had received complaints from consumers regarding Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food. Animals were reported to have vomited and experienced kidney failures.
On the 17th of April, 2007 Natural Balance issued a voluntary recall for all its Venison dog products and its dry Venison cat food after lab results showed that the products contained melamine. The source of melamine was believed to be from rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance claims that rice protein concentrate was a recent addition to the Venison formula.
Many customers were furious that a product Venison and Peas, marketed as a grain free allergy formula with a single source protein and single source carbohydrate, could have a significant formula change not reflected in the product labeling or website. The Natural Balance website’s FAQ page no longer addresses the rice protein concentrate issue.
On the 27th of April, Natural Balance issued its second recall for three canned dog food and one canned cat food. Like the first recall, the contaminants were melamine in rice protein concentrates. As with the venison based formulas, rice protein concentrate was not on the list of ingredients of the four products. This time, Natural Balance claimed that their canned food manufacturer American Nutrition, Inc added the rice protein concentrate without their knowledge or consent.
Products Affected: Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog Food with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, in five-pound (UPC Code 7-23633-9000-4) and 28-pound (UPC Code 7-23633-99002-8) bags because it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.
No illnesses have been reported, but during a random sample test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, one of the products from this batch tested positive for salmonella. This product was originally manufactured on the 17th of December, 2009, and is the only Natural Balance product being recalled.
Health Risks to Humans and Pets: Salmonella can affect animals, and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products. People handling dry pet food can become infected with salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product.
Please note that no NB cat foods have been recalled.
Product Return and Other Information: Consumers who have purchased Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog formula with the “Best By” date of June 17, 2011, are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For additional information, please contact Natural Balance Pet Foods Customer Service at (800) 829-4493 (8am – 5pm, PDT) or by visiting www.naturalbalanceinc.com.
