The Northwest Naturals Voluntary Recall
On December 24th, 2024, Northwest Naturals initiated a voluntary recall of one batch of Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it “allegedly” tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI-H5N1) virus. I’ll explain why I’ve used the word “allegedly” as you read on.
The recalled product has “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/206 BI and was sold through distributors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MN, PA, RI and WA in the United States, and British Columbia in Canada.
While we sell Northwest Naturals products at Green Acres, neither of these batches was, to our knowledge, distributed in Maine.
Reports indicate that one cat became ill and died from bird flu after allegedly consuming this food. While the death of any pet is tragic, it is essential to investigate each such incident carefully and by following protocol. The Oregon Department of Agriculture appears to have failed to follow protocol,
Laboratory tests using genome sequencing confirmed that the H5N1 virus recovered from the open bag of Northwest Naturals food in the cat's home matched the virus from the infected cat. However, for good reason, regulatory authorities are required to test unopened product samples, as once a package has been opened, it could have been contaminated by its environment. This failure to follow standard protocol caused Susan Thixton, the founder of The Truth About Pet Food, to state, “Oregon Department of Agriculture just proved to the entire world they are a corrupt regulatory organization. How? By violating the #1 rule in testing protocol and recall procedure.” Additionally, she stated, “Oregon Department of Agriculture has severely damaged the public’s confidence in raw pet food by neglecting to follow their own required procedures. This is unacceptable.” I concur entirely with Thixton’s assessment.
It is essential” to test an unopened package of the suspected product before concluding that the containment came from the product. No other reports of NWN products being contaminated with (HPAI-H5N1) exist.
Secondly, there is also contradictory information about the cat, with some reports indicating the cat never left home and others suggesting the cat was outdoors frequently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website: “If your domestic animals (e.g., cats or dogs) go outside and could potentially eat or be exposed to sick or dead birds infected with bird flu viruses, or an environment contaminated with bird flu virus, they could become infected with bird flu.” Even if the cat was indoor-only, if family members venture outside the home, they could bring the virus into the house.
FMI – NWN Press Release – https://www.nw-naturals.net/12-24-24-voluntary-product-recall/
FMI – Northwest Naturals – Recall FAQs – https://www.nw-naturals.net/recall-faqs/
FMI – The Truth About Pet Food – Ending 2024 with the WORST Pet Food Regulatory Failure Open Sample vs
Unopened Sample – The difference between the two are MASSIVE – https://truthaboutpetfood.com/ending-2024-with-the-worst-pet-food-regulatory-failure/
FMI – PETS+ – Bird Flu and the Northwest Naturals Recall: Retailers Have Questions – https://petsplusmag.com/bird-flu-and-the-northwest-naturals-recall-retailers-have-questions/
Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop and the founder of ForceFreePets.com. See his column