Wild Coast Raw issued a voluntary recall on March 1 of its Frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats due to its potential to be contaminated with bird flu.
The recall via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reads:
Company Announcement
Wild Coast LLC dba Wild Coast Raw of Olympia, WA is recalling lots of frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats because it has the potential to be contaminated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 also known as bird flu. H5N1 can be transmitted to animals eating contaminated product.
The product, 16oz and 24oz frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats was distributed to pet food retailers in Washington State and Oregon. The product is frozen in a small round white plastic container with a green label. The affected lots are identified by a sticker on the lid with a number of #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664 with a Best Buy date of 12/25. The recall is widened to include any raw material sharing similar production dates and lot codes as #22660 and #22664. These two lot codes were included in the WSDA’s public health alert on 2/14.
People who fed pets the recalled products should watch for symptoms of bird flu in their pets, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination, or blindness. People with pets exhibiting these signs after feeding this product should contact their veterinarian.
While no human infections have been identified among people handling raw pet food products, people can become infected if the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth. People should wash their hands and handling the raw product and sanitize contact surfaces such as countertops, refrigerators, bowls, or utensils. People who handled contaminated products should watch for symptoms of bird flu, including eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, seizures, rash, diarrhea, nausea, and/or vomiting. People exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare provider and local health department.
The recall was initiated after sampling conducted by the Oregon Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of the same strain of H5N1 in the affected cats and these products as well as sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Wild Coast Raw and the Washington State Department of Agriculture continue to work collaboratively to address the source of the problem.
Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to immediately and securely discard to prevent animals and wildlife from consuming the recalled product. Contact your place of purchase for a full refund. For more information contact Wild Coast Raw at info@wildcoastraw.com or (360) 591-3543 between 8am – 4 pm PST.
Company Contact Information
Consumers:
Wild Coast Raw
(360) 591-3543
info@wildcoastraw.com
A letter on the Wild Coast Raw website posted to customers prior to the recall outlines the timeline of events and announces the production changes it has made, including: “Effective immediately, we have transitioned to fully cooked poultry recipes to eliminate any potential risk. Cooking raw products to an internal temperature of 165 degrees kills bacteria and viruses, including H5N1, according to the CDC.”
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Read the full letter:
To our valued customers,
We’re writing to provide an update and clarify information that has been shared regarding our feline poultry products.
Overview:
On February 7, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) notified us that a cat tested positive for HPAI, with a potential link to opened containers of our food. Additional cats are being monitored by WSDA and the Oregon Department of Agriculture. We worked quickly with WSDA on further testing of sealed containers of this product and received those results on February 13. The results were non-negative – a laboratory term that essentially means inconclusive – and were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) for further testing.
Our Response:
The safety of our products and that of our customers’ beloved pets is always our top priority. We were devastated to learn of the passing of a beloved pet, and our hearts go out to the owner.
Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of pets and their owners, we enacted a stop sale on our 24oz Chicken Feline Formula on lot numbers #22660 and #22664 with a Best Buy date of 12/2025. Customers with this product should dispose of it immediately and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.
Effective immediately, we have transitioned to fully cooked poultry recipes to eliminate any potential risk. Cooking raw products to an internal temperature of 165 degrees kills bacteria and viruses, including H5N1, according to the CDC. These new recipes will be in place indefinitely and will be available starting next week.
Our Process:
We are fully confident in our quality control processes and procedures and their ability to ensure that our customers’ pets are served safe and nutritious food.
Our ingredients meet the highest industry standards and are inspected before use.
We thoroughly assess all suppliers from which we source our high-quality products. All of our suppliers use sustainable, organic, humanely raised, free-range, cage-free, GMO-free and antibiotic-free practices. We source from farms that adhere to strict quality and safety standards, including those set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This includes mandatory food safety inspection. Per USDA standards for poultry, we expect that each chicken is inspected for any diseases. All poultry we use is USDA-inspected, passed, and human-grade.
When we purchase a product, it comes with an understanding that it has a clean bill of health.
Once we receive the product, we also use lactic acid to further reduce any potential bacterial contamination. USDA and FDA, along with numerous other organizations, support lactic acid to enhance food safety.
From the sourcing of ingredients to the crafting of meals, we will always hold ourselves and suppliers to the highest safety standards.
What’s Next:
We will continue to work with WSDA and all regulatory bodies as they investigate. We will share updates as they become available to us.
We remain dedicated to providing safe, high-quality nutrition for our customers’ beloved pets. We will continue to take every necessary step to ensure the integrity of our products and the well-being of the animals who depend on us.
Thank you for your understanding, and I will continue to provide updates as we work through this.
Tyler Duncan
Wild Coast Pet Foods
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We will continue to update this story as information becomes available.
