FDA Suspends Evanger’s Emergency Permit
The following is not a recall, the FDA has suspended Evanger’s emergency permit so they can no longer ship their food interstate.
FDA Suspends Temporary Emergency Permit of Pet Food Maker
June 12, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today it was suspending the temporary Emergency Permit issued to Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc.
Evanger’s, operating in Wheeling, Illinois, deviated from the prescribed process, equipment, product shipment, and record keeping requirements in the production of the company’s thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. The deviations in their processes and documentation could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.
In April 2008, Evanger’s was issued an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” after the agency determined that the company had failed to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. In June, 2008, FDA issued Evanger’s a temporary Emergency Permit. During inspections conducted between March 2009 and April 2009, FDA determined Evanger’s was not operating in compliance with the mandatory requirements and conditions of the Temporary Emergency Permit.
“The FDA is stopping Evanger’s ability to ship pet food in interstate commerce,” said Dr. Bernadette Dunham. “Today’s enforcement action sends a strong message to manufacturers of pet food that we will take whatever action necessary to keep unsafe products from reaching consumers.”
In order for Evanger’s to resume shipping in interstate commerce, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.
Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.
While FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods. The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.
Joel Sher, the VP of Evanger Dog & Cat Food Company, has issued a response.
Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company Responds to FDA News Release
June 12, 2009To our valued customers:
In August of 2008, while updating required process information to the FDA our “process authority” (processing expert) inadvertently deleted pertinent filings. Evanger’s has been working with the FDA to resolve this issue quickly. This situation does not call into question the safety of any Evanger’s products.No Evanger’s product are involved in any recall, nor is there any indication that any Evanger’s product is unsafe. Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Co. continues to manufacture the highest quality, wholesome, nutritious and safe products as it has done for 75 years.
“As our customers, retailers and distributors know, Evanger’s takes the quality and safety of its pet foods very seriously,” said Holly Sher, president of Evanger’s. “Evanger’s has a long history of using only human-grade ingredients in our products. The FDA has not called into question the wholesomeness of any ingredient we use. We are confident Evanger’s products continue to be safe, wholesome and natural, so confident that we continue to feed them daily to our own pets.”All ingredients in Evanger’s products are sourced in the United States and all manufacturing is done in its suburban Chicago facility. The routine FDA inspection was related only to Evanger’s canned foods and is not affiliated with of production its dry pet food or treat products.
As the United States’ oldest natural pet food company, Evanger’s products are known for their human-grade ingredients, including hand-packed meats, fish and poultry, and 100% meat and organic meals.
Consumers and distributors may contact Evanger’s customer service department at US +1 8002886796 Call for further information. In addition, all new or updated information will be immediately posted to our Website, http://www.evangersdogfood.com/Respectfully,
Joel Sher
Vice President
Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc
* Pic of some of Evanger’s dog food from their site.
Events like the suspension of the Evanger’s permit by the FDA–as well as recalls in the pet food industry–are positively frightening. This suspension and many recalls happen when companies don’t know (or care about) the ingredients they’re buying, where the ingredients come from, what they contain, how they’re handled, and more. Even worse, people spend good money for low quality when the companies disguise the low quality of their ingredients from people by (legally) but deceptively claiming ‘No added artificial preservatives,” “All natural” and more. But there are alternatives out there. I represent a line of pet products that has NEVER had a recall or any kind of permit suspension. This company tests every batch before anything is sold, and the ingredients, handling, and processes are exactly what they’re supposed to be. Anyone who is interested can check out these products:
http://www.TrilogyOnline.com/PawPrints
I’d be glad to answer questions—or even get answers directly from the formulating holistic vet! I can talk to her on the phone (as can my customers!).
Just my experience, but when I first started feeding Evanger foods to my dog, I would occasionally open a can of food that had a weird metallic smell, had pieces of what looked like fish skin in the can and would look as if slimy food had been run through a blender (when it was supposed to be whole chicken thighs, etc.) At one point, I attempted to alert the company to this problem, but there was not a link on their website that would allow me to email my concerns. While I could have called, I assumed that if the company didn’t have the courtesy to put a customer service link on its page, they didn’t really consider customer service as a priority. Finally after opening two cans in a row that were ruined, I just stopped buying the stuff. Apparently Evangers’ needs to look again at its quality inspection processes for food and paperwork.
I have been feeding my dog Evanger’s for nearly ten years and was alarmed by this news. However, I called Evanger’s today and spoke with the owner who went into detail about what happened. I read his release on the Evanger’s website, and confidently fed my dog Evanger’s hunk of beef for dinner tonight.
Licked his chops.
I was feeding my small dog Evangers All Fresh Veg. I found a beef in it. It was in a couple of the cans. When I call they said they didn’t wash the machines out before changing batches.Makes me wonder what else I could find in my can. I can’t take that chance.
Been feeding my rescue dogs Evanger’s for years and years, and I praise the food every day my dogs jump and run with full stomachs, no scratching, and healthy!
Never had a problem with it, and confident I won’t.
And lets be honest – we have the BEST government in the world, don’t we?
Anyone who continues to feed the pets this contaminated dog food is an irresponsible owner. Joel and Holly Sher have lied about the safety of their products since their last violation in April of 2008. These new violations are worse than before. The goal is to get them shut down once and for all. there are many documented cases of pet illness and even deaths from their canned foods. Shame on you who buy into their lies. I’ll be seeing them in court,
Since there is no recall, I’m going to keep feeding my pets Evanger’s. It’s the only food they’ll eat and I’m confident to feed to my pets since everything is made in the USA. Think that makes me a concerned and responsible owner, not irresponsible. Irresponsible would be feeding my pups that garbage that comes in from China or those big companies that only care about making $$$$$. At least I know this is safe.
I agree with Gary. I have lost a dog when feeding one of my dogs food from Menu but when I switched to Evanger’s, the food brought new life into my pooch. I cant thank Evanger’s enough for what they do. Shame on you mr. lets prosecute Evanger’s, shame on you.
I have 8 dogs and all of them love evanger’s dog food.I know they have great ingredients in the dog food, but why a recall in 2009? Another recall for the same dog food!
Leah, There isn’t a recall on Evanger’s. The issue was over documentation and paperwork over the changed recipes and canning times.
From what I understand Evanger’s was supposed to have a hearing with the FDA on July 23rd, at which time Evanger’s re-submitted their documentation. I’m hoping we read something from the FDA about it soon.
I think it’s reasonable to be concerned, but the FDA had tested Evanger’s batches and found no traces of bacteria or contamination.
I think there’s a lot of fear mongering going on right now. And while there have been reports of dogs getting ill (on dubious websites), the FDA states they have not received any reports from consumers about their dogs getting sick from eating Evanger’s.
I’d like to hear directly from anyone who believes their pet was sickened or died from eating Evanger’s, and what they personally did about it.