Mars recalls Pedigree dog food over plastic and metal contamination

Mars Petcare recalled two lots of Pedigree wet dog food after cans that were supposed to be destroyed were instead sold in the United States through unauthorized channels. The recall covers PEDIGREE Can High Protein Chopped Chicken & Duck Flavor 13.2oz wet dog food with lot codes 613C3KKCFC and 613C1KKCFC.

The cans failed Mars' internal safety and quality standards, were sent to a third-party vendor for destruction, and later appeared to have been fraudulently diverted into the marketplace.

The recalled cans may contain hard, sharp pieces of metal and plastic foreign material. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that dogs that eat the product could face choking, lacerations or gastrointestinal blockage. Mars had received no reports of pet illness or injury when it announced the recall.

The recall was limited to the two named lots, and no other PEDIGREE or Mars Petcare U.S. products were affected. Mars is working with authorities to determine how the cans entered the marketplace, but has not identified the third-party vendor that handled destruction or how long the product may have been circulating.

Consumers should not feed the recalled food to pets and should contact Pedigree for a replacement. Pedigree Consumer Care can be reached at 1-800-525-5273, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT and weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT.