Second Pet Food Recall From Sunshine Mills Over Toxic Mold Issues

The presence of a toxin-producing mold is prompting a second voluntary pet food recall on the part of Sunshine Mills Inc. 

The company said in an announcement posted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website Oct. 8 it is expanding an initial pet food recall issued Sept. 2 after the FDA found additional brands may be unsafe.

“An investigation … determined that additional corn-based pet food products produced between April 3, 2020 and April 5, 2020 may contain corn from a single load of corn with elevated levels of aflatoxin,” the FDA announcement said.

This latest pet food recall expansion is substantial, listing 58 lots that include at least 23 brands, according to USA Today. The first pet food recall listed only 12 brands. 

Sunshine Mills says in addition to the brands listed in their pet food recall of Sept. 2, the following pet foods, sold between April 3 and April 5, 2020, may contain this dangerous mold:

• Champ Mini Chunk Dog Food Beef and Chicken Flavor
• Field Trial Complete Nutrition Premium 
• Good Dog Brand Dog Food Hi-Energy Formula
• Hunter’s Special Dog Food branded flavors
• Old Glory Hearty Beef & Chicken Flavor 
• Paws Happy Life Nutritionally Complete 
• Pet Expert Always Fit Formula
• Principle Super Premium Natural
• Retriever Bites & Bones Adult Complete Nutrition Savory Chicken Flavor
• River Bend Dog Food Basic Nutrition/Select
• Sportsman’s Pride Maintenance Adult Formula
• Sprout Bites & Bones
• Sprout Hi-Protein
• Thrifty Adult Dog Food
• Sprout Maintenance
• Sprout Puppy
• Top Runner Premium Dog Food
• Whiskers & Tails Adult Recipe Complete Dog Food

All of these products were sold in the U.S., according to Dog Food Advisor, but Principle Super Premium Natural Dog Food and Sportsman’s Pride Maintenance Adult Formula brands were sold in Japan and Columbia, as well, according to the notice on the pet food recalls. 

The FDA says it is following up with cooperation from Sunshine Mills regarding these pet food recalls and that it sees this as an ongoing issue, further noting that additional brands could be added to the recall list.

Aflatoxin is a toxin produced by the mold aspergillus flavus, according to the FDA, and at high levels can cause death in pets. 

The mold grows on corn and other grains used to make pet food and was found in a product sample taken from a Sunshine Mills facility in Louisiana in September, USA Today reported.

While no pet illness or deaths related to the voluntary Sunshine Mills pet food recall have been reported, symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice and/or diarrhea, according to the FDA. In some cases, pets can suffer liver damage without showing outward symptoms.

The toxicity builds up over time, the notice explains, and, because pets eat the same meals every day, they are at a particular risk of building up dangerous levels of the toxin in their systems.

“Pets are highly susceptible to aflatoxin poisoning because, unlike people, who eat a varied diet, pets generally eat the same food continuously over extended periods of time,” the FDA said, according to Veterinary Practice News.   

The FDA says there’s no evidence pet owners themselves are at risk of aflatoxin poisoning but advises sanitizing surfaces and hands after handling. 

They are asking pet owners to report suspected aflatoxin-related illness through the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal or by contacting a state-level FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. 

The expanded recall marks at least three such voluntary pet food recalls Sunshine Mills has made this year.

In August, the company issued a notice on certain brands of Nature’s Menu dog food because of potential salmonella contamination. A sample taken from a three-pound bag by the Georgia Department of Agriculture tested positive for the deadly bacteria. 

The FDA has put Sunshine Mills on notice about unsafe practices before 2020. 

The agency sent an alert in 2018 over potentially unsafe levels of vitamin D in certain lines of Sunshine Mills pet foods. That alert was followed by a warning letter sent to CEO Alan Bostick about the “elevated levels of vitamin D” in certain Sunshine Mills dog food lines. 

Investigators found the facility “failed to implement adequate preventative controls to ensure” safe levels of the nutrient. 

“The violations cited in this letter are not intended to be an all-inclusive statement of violations that exist at your facility or in connection with your products,” the letter stated. 

Have you purchased any of the Sunshine Mills brands included in the voluntary pet food recall? Let us know in the comments below. 

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