Evangers Cat Food Recall History
We do not believe that a recall indicates a low quality food or company, and we respect the fact that sometimes things happen that cause a manufacturer to recall a food.
Usually these things are non-life-threatening, and we think its important to take a moment to be thankful about just how few recalls there really are in the industry, considering the enormous volume of food produced.
However, we do believe that a history of recalls may point to a larger issue with a company, and that discerning consumers want to know who theyre buying from, especially when it comes to something as important as the food you feed your beloved cat.
Here is a list of recalls that have affected the Evanger brand in the past:
- 2017 Serious concerns about pentobarbital, an animal euthanasia drug, being present in a variety of dog foods, among other FDA violations
- 2011 FDA violations
If you want to stay up to date on the latest recall information affecting your cats food, sign up to our email list and receive an email every time a recall is announced. Well also let you know about any updated ratings, recipe changes, or new cat foods on the market.
City Investigators Describe Evangers As A Revolting Maggot
In the summer of 2006, the Village of Wheeling Illinois began what can only be described as an acrimonious relationship with their new neighbors, the Shers, who, according to the Village, did a pretty lousy job of maintaining the Evangers pet food plant. What began as a nuisance, grew, to numerous odor complaints emanating from Evangers production of dog and cat food. Eventually, the picture turned darker, painting a picture of a slip-shod operation where the Shers evidently cared little for the convention of maintaining a sanitary pet food plant and gave every appearance of letting the Evangers property go to rack and ruin.
From June 2006 through March 2008, Serena Fried, an inspector for the Village submitted an affidavit in the case of the Village v. Evangers which detailed the results of inspections she conducted at Evangers during those years. In it, she observed:
Debris and junk stored in the rear of the property Rusted and unused equipment in the rear of the property stored dangerously high Rusted trailers being used for storage Rusted equipment and plastic totes for chicken product stored in the rear of the property Thousands of maggots on rotten decaying animal parts Open and exposed rotting animal parts Flies and maggots over unknown rotting substances.
On August 24, 2006, the Village issued citations to Evangers for violating several ordinances. The citations alleged:
As Evangers Scandal Unfolds A Look Back At Their Troubled History
The story begins when Joel and Holly Sher, a suburban couple from Northern Illinois, bought Evangers, a sixty-seven-year-old pet food cannery, in 2002. Despite its age, Holly remembered, that just about everywhere she looked she saw a way to grow the business, Right away I realized, `What a gold mine.
Her husband Joel, having supplied Evangers with raw meat and vegetable products for over 15 years, knew the company product and when the chance to purchase the plant came about, he and his wife jumped at the chance and decided to buy it.
And in only a year after buying Evangers, the couple was able to triple the companys revenue simply by redesigning product labels, adding distributors and improving production.
The number of products grew to 50 products, and although the Evangers brand accounted for approximately 50% of the companys overall business, the rest of the business was involved in making private-label products for other companies. And their market expanded from North America to Latin America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Eventually, the company grew so large, the Shers expanded the original Evangers manufacturing and warehouse facility by 7,000-square-feet. And in 2013 they opened a new manufacturing plant, called Nutripack, in Markham, Illinois in 2013.
The Shers received nationwide attention when the Rachel Ray Show recently featured them on the program for their kosher pet food products.
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Fda Warns Consumers Not To Feed Evangers Or Against The Grain Pet Food To Pets
, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions consumers and advises them not to feed their pets certain lots of Evangers canned Hunk of Beef or Against the Grain Grain Free Pulled Beef with Gravy canned dog food after unopened cans from both brands were found to contain pentobarbital, a barbiturate.
The FDA warns:
Pentobarbital is a drug that is used in animal euthanasia. It should not be in pet food and its presence as detected by the FDA in these products renders them adulterated.
The FDA was unable to determine from available records whether any other Evangers or Against the Grain products made with beef contain any of the beef that went into the recalled products. Additionally, the agency concluded an inspection of the manufacturing facilities on February 14, 2017, and noted numerous significant concerns with conditions found at both the Wheeling, IL and plants.
It is important to note that the FDA inspection reports are merely initial observations and do not represent a final agency determination regarding Evangers and Against the Grains pet food companies.
The FDA continues:
The stomach contents of the deceased dog and an open can of the product were tested by an FDA Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network lab, and unopened cans of the product from the pet owner and retailer that sold the products , were tested by FDAs lab. All of the samples tested positive for pentobarbital.
The Catological Verdict On Evangers Organics Wet Cat Food
From top to bottom, this is an above average wet product.
From the abundance of meats, including organs, to the limited ingredients, to the addition of important minerals and vitamins, this ticks a lot of important boxes.
This is a good example of the type of food you should be feeding your cat, though we do not like the inclusion of brown rice.
Since meat shows up frequently, and right at the top of the ingredient list, we can assume that this is a meat-based cat food, with enough meat to make it biologically appropriate for a cats dietary needs.
To review, on a dry matter basis, this food is 45% protein, 23% fat, and 11% carbs.
As a group, the brand has an average protein content of 45%, and average fat content of 23%, and an average carb content of 11%.
Compared to the other 2000+ foods in our database, this food has:
- Average protein.
- Average fat.
- Average carbs.
Because it is full of quality meat products and limited other ingredients, our rating for this brand is 4.5 stars.
Highly recommended.
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Fda Inspection Reports Reveal Grisly Conditions At Both Manufacturing Plants
, the FDA posts two inspection reports of Sher family owned pet food plants, one at Evangers canning facility in Markham, Illinois and the other at their Nutripack production plant in Markham, Illinois, noting numerous significant concerns with conditions found at both the Wheeling, IL and plants.
What Ingredients Do They Use
In their cat food specifically, this company seems to utilize a lot of novel protein. They dont use a lot of chicken or beef recipes. Instead, they use a lot of things like rabbit and quail. This may be useful for cats with food allergies, as youll be able to find all sorts of strange protein sources with this brand. However, this also drives up the price substantially. Rabbit tends to be more expensive than chicken.
While they make grain-free recipes, many of them are packed with veggies. Some are so high on the list that they are apparent fillers used to bulk up the food. While some veggies are okay for felines, moderation is key.
For instance, peas occur in many of their recipes. Peas do contain some vitamins and minerals that cats need, but we dont like to see them as frequently. However, the company states that 8098% of their foods ingredients are meat, which is the primary source of protein.
Despite this, they do utilize some high-quality options as well. For instance, they often use eggs in their recipes. These include quite a few vitamins and minerals, making them very good for your cat. They also include salmon meal, which includes natural omega fatty acids an excellent fat for your feline.
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How Is Their Food Manufactured
Most of Evangers manufacturing process revolves around improving their wet food. They initiated the Hand Packed process a few decades ago. This means that some of their foods are hand-packed instead of packed by a machine.
We can also assume that not all of their foods are hand-packed. We dont know what formulas are hand-packed and which are not.
They do strive to pack wholesome, raw ingredients into each can. Their wet foods are not nearly as processed as some other brands. The food is cooked inside each can, which helps lock in the juices and vitamins from the food.
Overall Evangers Cat Food Review
The Evangers website claims that the brand is the preferred choice of champions and it has been named an Editors Choice Award winner by Pet Product News International two years in a row. One of the first things you will notice about the Evangers brand is that they produce a wide variety of pet food products. The brand is described as Evangers Food for Dogs & Cats Since 1935, but the brand also offers food for small animals as well as an assortment of treats. The Evangers website states that the brand continues to be a choice of top handlers, breeders, and dog enthusiasts it also claims that the brand uses the highest quality wholesome ingredients to make products that are preferred by conscientious pet owners.
When it comes to their cat food products, Evangers offers a wide variety of options. The Classic Dinners line of products includes three canned food recipes Beef It Up, Goin Fishin, and Chicken Lickin. These recipes are loaded with fresh meats and cooked in their own juices for maximum flavor. For dry food options, Evangers offers two formulas Pheasant & Whitefish and Grain-Free Meat Lovers Medley with Rabbit. The Evangers Organics product line includes two canned food options and the Nothing But Natural series offers a selection of single-ingredient dried foods. Evangers offers a wide variety of Super Premium canned foods as well as cans of 100% wild game meat including options like rabbit, beef, buffalo, duck, chicken, and pork.
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Evangers Cat Food Recalls 2022
The Evangers pet food brand has not been affected by any FDA recalls, however the company has a long history of trouble with the FDA. In 2008, the FDA ordered Evangers to stop operations after sending them multiple warning letters. During testing, the FDA found that Evangers pet food did not contain the advertised ingredients meat that was listed as lamb tested as beef and duck did not test as duck. After things were resolved, Evangers sent out a press release stating that they had been cleared of wrongdoing. According to the FDA, however, this was not exactly true the company addressed the violations and made the necessary changes to comply with the FDAs regulations.
In 2009, Evangers issued a silent recall for some of their canned chicken formulas because small metal parts were found in numerous cans. The company contacted its distributors and requested that they pull products from the shelves in the hopes that there wouldnt be any more problems. However, in 2012, the problem resurfaced.
Metal Pieces Found In Evangers Pet Food
On February 17, 2012, a woman reported finding sharp metal tags in her cans of Evangers dog food. Evangers told the consumer that the tags are used in the poultry industry as a means of identification which should have been removed from the chickens wings before they got used in pet food. Evangers assured her that although a similar incident happened a couple of years ago, they were surprised to hear that there were still cans of it floating around, Evangers now had metal detectors installed so that shouldnt have happened again.
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Fda Suspends Evangers Emergency Operating Permit
On June 12, 2009, the FDA announced that it was suspending the temporary operating permit under which Evangers Dog and Cat Food Company, Inc. has been operating for the last year.
The agency took this action after determining that Evangers was not operating its canning operation according to . . . prescribed process, equipment, product shipment, and recordkeeping requirements . . . as set out in the temporary operating permit.
According to FDA, Evangers deviations from prescribed protocols could . . . result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum , a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.
But by suspending the temporary emergency permit, the agency can and has stopped Evangers from selling its product outside the companys home state of Illinois.
Who Manufactures Evangers Cat Food
The Evangers pet food brand is produced by the Evangers Dog & Cat Food Company, Inc. This company has been producing natural pet foods since 1935 and they have become known as a national pet food brand. According to the brand website, Evangers pet food products are still manufactured on the original site, following the very same traditional of quality as they did in the early years. In 2003 Evangers became known for being the first pet food company to offer a product that was hand-packed instead of being packed by a machine. The creation of this product led to a new trend in natural pet food products known as, People food for pets.
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Fda Urges Pet Parents To Report Problems With Evangers Food To Them
, in an article on Food Safety News, it is reported that FDA has briefed its Consumer Complaint Coordinators on the Evangers situation and urges pet owners and veterinarians to report any concerns via the agencys How to Report a Pet Food Complaint web page. The agency is especially interested in cases where the dog received a veterinary work-up and the owners still have cans of food available for testing by FDA, in which case veterinarians are urged to report such problems to the FDA via the federal Safety Reporting Portal.
Symptoms of oral exposure to pentobarbital can cause drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea, nystagmus , inability to stand, coma and death.
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Fda Orders Evangers To Obtain An Emergency Operating Permit
On April 24, 2008, the FDA issued an order requiring that Evangers to obtain an emergency operating permit from the FDA before its canned pet food products enter interstate commerce.
The FDA wrote in a press release:
That during a recent inspection revealed significant deviations from prescribed documentation of processes, equipment, and recordkeeping in the production of the companys thermally processed low-acid canned food products. These problems could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum , a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.
The FDA issues an Order of Need for Emergency Permit if the agency determines that a company fails to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. For Evangers to resume business, 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
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Evangers Recalls Dog Food For Pentobarbital Contamination
On February 3, 2017, at the FDAs request, Evangers recalled five production lots of its Hunk of Beef canned pet food because of contamination with pentobarbital.
Evangers is forced to publicly retract it earlier statement that their food does not contain sodium pentobarbital in a press release after they have to issue a recall of its Hunk of Beef due to pentobarbital exposure.
Evangers attempts to divert any criticism away from their company and places the blame for the sodium pentobarbital laced meat squarely on the company that has been supplying their company with beef for the last 40 years , saying theyve been let down by our supplier.
Evangers also tried to blame the regulatory system for allowing animals contaminated with illegal amounts of drug residue to enter the food chain, adding, there is absolutely no regulation that requires the certified Vet to place any kind of marker on the animal indicating that it has been euthanized and guaranteeing that product from euthanized animals cannot enter the food chain.
However, the law requires USDA inspectors that suspect any animal with a drug residue to be identified with a U.S. Condemned tag, thereby preventing its use in the human food chain. Although U.S. Condemned material can legally be rendered, the Evangers Hunk of Beef product is made of 100% beef and not rendered meat.
Another Dog Food Recalled For Pentobarbital Contamination
, on the advice of FDA, Against The Grain Pet Food recalls dog food due to adulteration with pentobarbital.
The recalled products, Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs, was manufactured and distributed in 2015, suggesting the problem of pentobarbital laced meat has been an ongoing problem at Sher family owned pet food plants.
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