Pet Food: Recalls, Fresh Brands, Prices and Nutrition — 2026-09-13

Top developments

Years recalls all fresh dog meals over vision loss reports

UK-based subscription brand Years recalled nearly all of its fresh dog meals after 192 customers reported potential eye issues in their pets, including sudden bilateral dry eye. The company is investigating its buckwheat ingredient as a potential cause following a recipe change. This incident highlights the regulatory and health risks associated with novel ingredients in fresh, human-grade pet food formulations.

Northwest Naturals recalls raw pet food for Salmonella and Listeria

Nearly 2,000 pounds of Northwest Naturals raw pet food sold nationwide are being recalled after FDA tests found Salmonella and Listeria contamination. Pet owners are advised to stop using the raw frozen food immediately and monitor for symptoms of illness. This recall underscores the persistent pathogen risks in the raw diet segment, which continues to grow in popularity despite safety concerns.

Dog supplements recalled from Amazon and Chewy

Two dog supplements sold on major e-commerce platforms Amazon and Chewy were recalled over possible contamination. The recall serves as a reminder that safety issues extend beyond main meals to the rapidly expanding pet supplement market, which often faces less rigorous pre-market scrutiny than complete diets.

Chewy stock sinks despite raised outlook; Freshpet ticks up

Chewy’s stock fell 11% as a free cash flow miss overshadowed its raised full-year outlook, while rival Freshpet saw its stock tick up. This divergence suggests investors are increasingly favoring manufacturers with direct control over production and margins over pure-play retailers facing higher logistics costs. Freshpet also addressed growth bets and margins at the Barclays Consumer Conference, signaling caution on short-term sales growth while maintaining long-term targets.

Local view

German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest released a new test of cat dry food, revealing that discount supermarket brands often outperform expensive premium brands in nutritional quality. The test found three products with a "very good" rating, with the cheapest product in the test significantly outscoring more expensive competitors. This aligns with previous findings for dog dry food, where discount options were shown to provide better value and nutrition than many premium brands. These findings challenge the marketing narrative that higher price equals superior nutrition in the European pet food market.

Context & numbers

• Recall Frequency: As of September 11, 2026, there have been 62 FDA-listed pet food recalls since October 2017, with 23 occurring in the last 12 months.
• Price Trends: While specific September data is not yet available, recent reports indicate "petflation" (pet food inflation) held steady at 3.3% in early 2026, with total pet prices reaching record highs.
• Nutrition Science: A systematic review published in PMC highlighted nutritional inadequacies in insect-based pet foods, reporting low levels of calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, and various amino acids compared to meat-based diets.

On the radar

• DCM Research: Tufts University researchers continue to investigate phospholipidosis as a potential cause for diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), aiming to improve early diagnosis and treatment for affected dogs.
• Regulatory Scrutiny: The FDA continues to monitor outbreaks and advisories, with recent actions focusing on Salmonella in raw foods and aflatoxin levels in certain brands.