Recall of Hills dog food

As a responsible pet magazine, it has come under Animaltalk magazine’s attention that Hill’s Pet Nutrition voluntary recalled some canned dog food batches. This was done due to the higher levels of vitamin D found in these batches. To find out which batches are affected, go to their website https://www.hillspet.co.za/productlist for the list.

According to the statement on their website the recall doesn’t affect any of the dry food for dogs, or any cat food. The statement is unclear as to how it happened, but the company does state that they have become aware of the problem and taking care of it.

You should stop feeding your dog the canned food with the implicated batch numbers immediately, or dispose of opened food. You can return unopened products to your vet shop.

“It is unfortunate that formulation issues can happen in the manufacturing process. These are usually uncommon and, in most cases, they are not cause for panic, especially when managed quickly and conscientiously. It is important that companies respond in the correct and responsible manner to limit the effect of formulation deviations by isolating the affected products, recalling affected and suspect products, making consumers and retailers aware of the issue, giving clear instructions on what pet owners should look out for and how they should dispose of affected products.

“The matter must be reported to the pet food regulators (being Act 36 and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and the Pet Food Industry Association of South Africa (PFI). We believe that Hill’s has acted appropriately and honestly to limit the effect of the potentially elevated levels of vitamin D. We are pleased to learn that additional safety measures are being implemented to ensure a repeat is avoided,” says Dominique Kuhlmann, general manager, Pet Food Industry Association of South Africa.

The company is doing further testing to prevent the problem from happening again. If you have any queries, you can contact them on 0800 228 783 or infoZA@hillspet.com, or visit their website https://www.hillspet.co.za/productlist.