Darwin’s Memo Regarding FDA Statement
8/16/23
Darwin’s Pet Products
August 16, 2023
At Darwin’s, the health and safety of your pets is our absolute top priority, and we take rigorous steps to support their well-being – including remaining committed to communicating with you, our community.
With that said, we’re reaching out to share some information about a recent incident regarding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Recently, the FDA issued a public notice regarding some of our products after finding traces of salmonella during routine testing.
It is important to know that salmonella is not typically harmful to pets. Nonetheless, the food samples were flagged under the FDA’s zero-tolerance policy, which is largely designed for human safety and for food that humans will consume, not pets.
It is also very important to know that we have not received any complaints from customers who have received products from the same lot numbers of the pet food cited in the FDA notice.
While there are no risks to pet health, we felt it important to notify you regardless. We believe the FDA’s action is wholly unnecessary, and ultimately, based on flawed regulatory decision-making. To prevent a recurrence of this situation, we have taken steps to make this position clear to the agency.
Darwin’s is confident our meals are safe. We use only high-quality ingredients, sourcing all of our proteins from USDA-inspected facilities. In addition to a rigid vendor approval program, all of our products are treated in advance of production with an antimicrobial solution to reduce pathogens such as salmonella. Our rigorous sourcing and manufacturing protocols help ensure the safety of our products while maintaining the good bacteria that are crucial to our pets’ gut health and immune systems.
We’ll be continuing to update on this situation with FAQs and more information regarding the lots tested. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to send us an email to [email protected].
Safety Procedure FAQ
What steps do you take to ensure your food is safe?
Nothing matters more to us than the health of the pets that eat our food. To ensure their safety, we use a multi-step process to prevent or eliminate pathogens while maintaining nutritional integrity. That process is as follows:
- First, we source our ingredients from some of the best farms and ranges in the industry. Our livestock and poultry are raised under healthy, humane conditions, making it less likely they will harbor pathogenic bacteria.
- We require our meat and vegetable suppliers to apply an antimicrobial wash to everything they send to us.
- We employ a two-step pathogen control process at our facility that involves using an organic acid to naturally eliminate any unwanted pathogens.
- We provide our customers with detailed instructions on how to safely store and serve our food to keep themselves, their families, and their pets safe.
Other raw pet food brands sterilize their food. Why doesn’t Darwin’s?
The FDA’s standards are based on the consumption of raw food for humans, not pets. Sterilizing our food would remove many of the nutritional benefits of a raw food diet. Cooking and high-pressure processing destroys most of the vital enzymes and vitamins in the ingredients. It’s important to maintain the nutrients that are responsible for many of the dramatic changes that our customers tell us they see in their pets after feeding them our food such as: relief from common skin problems; a sharp decrease in common diseases and conditions like arthritis and diabetes; and improved digestion.
What is Peracetic Acid?
Peracetic (or Peroxyacetic) Acid is an organic acid used in the food industry to reduce the presence of bacteria. It’s commonly used to mitigate bacteria in meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables and is incredibly common in specifically mitigating salmonella in raw poultry.
Why did we switch to Peracetic Acid?
In addition to being incredibly effective at mitigating bacteria, Peracetic Acid reduces to acetic vinegar, oxygen, and water. We switched to Peracetic Acid because there is less impact to the taste, smell, or color of the meals for our pets and maintains the nutritional value of our meals while still ensuring our food’s safety.
How effective is it in mitigating bacteria?
Peracetic Acid is a strong oxidizing agent that is highly effective in penetrating the cell membrane walls of bacteria and destroying them. We’ve validated this through rigorous testing to ensure it’s effective at keeping your pet’s food safe.
Does it impact the nutritional value of the food?
No, peracetic acid does not impact the nutritional value of the food.
Is it natural?
Peracetic acid breaks down into vinegar, oxygen, and water, which are all natural and healthy for pets to consume. This method allows us to maintain the integrity of our true raw diets, while ensuring that all of our products are safe for your pets to consume.
Updated August 16th 2023