RALEIGH – Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is warning pet owners not to feed New Jersey-based manufacturer B&B’s B&B brand pet food after an investigation by the department’s Food and Drug Protection Division found that the raw meat-based products were manufactured and distributed without proper regulatory oversight.
During a routine inspection at Proformance Pet Supply in Greensboro, seven different B&B products were found to be missing significant portions of the product labeling required under the NC Commercial Feed Law and the federal Fair Labeling and Protection Act.
“The product label was missing important information and because the pet food products contain ingredients with a potential risk of pathogen contamination, they could put your pets at risk,” Troxler said. “If you purchased and still own this product, please do not feed it to your pets.” Important missing information included the guaranteed analysis, proper feeding guidelines, quantity (net weight), guarantor information and the intended animal species. In addition, these products are not approved for sale as pet food in North Carolina and were later found not to be manufactured under New Jersey state regulatory control to ensure the safety of the products, Troxler said.
These products include the following:
- B&B Hi-Pro
- B&B Nutro
- B&B special order
- B&B Premium
- B&B Super
- B&B Super Treats
- B&B X Factor
The products are sold frozen in a silver foil stand-up pouch with a resealable closure and a white label printed with black ink. None of the packages are additionally marked with a batch code.
“Given the potential risk of pathogen contamination, it is important to be able to demonstrate that products were manufactured under supervision to establish compliance with good manufacturing practices or preventive controls,” said George Ferguson, NCDA&CS’s animal feed program manager. In addition, these products lack adequate labeling to demonstrate their suitability as animal feed and lack instructions to ensure appropriate feeding, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
What do i have to do?
Further investigation revealed that these products may have been distributed throughout the state and may still be available despite the actions of food and drug inspectors to remove them from sale. “We are urging consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers and discard these products,” Ferguson said. “If you have any of the B&B pet food products, stop giving them to your pets and dispose of them in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access them.”
Consumers who had this product in their homes should clean refrigerators/freezers where the product was stored and clean and disinfect all bowls, utensils, food preparation surfaces, pet bedding, litter boxes, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have come into contact with. Clean up pet feces from areas where people or other animals may have come into contact with it. Consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling the product or cleaning potentially contaminated objects and surfaces.
If you believe your pet has become ill from eating contaminated pet food, you should first contact your veterinarian.
The NCDA&CS Division of Food and Drug Protection encourages consumers to report complaints about pet food products by calling the Animal Feed Program Office at 984-236-4820 or by emailing the details of the complaint to the NC Animal Feed Program at [email protected].
