FDA cautions pet owners about Darwin Dog Food linked to E. coli Illness

Product Information

The affected lots of pet food were sold in frozen 2-pound white and clear plastic packages with four separate units. The beef and chicken BioLogics dog food have orange labeling, and the duck Natural Selections dog food has blue labeling. Product lot codes are printed on the front of the lower left unit of the package. The affected varieties and lot codes are:

• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Beef Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot 10662, MFG Date: May 30, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Chicken Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot 10683, MFG date: June 05, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, Natural Selections Duck Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot 10638, MFG date: May 22, 2024

• The FDA is cautioning pet owners that a sample of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products beef dog food made by Arrow Reliance, Inc. tested positive for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 that is associated with a human illness. In addition, one sample of Darwin’s chicken dog food and one sample of Darwin’s duck dog food tested positive for Salmonella Infantis and Hadar, respectively.  Closed product from the three affected lots, which were obtained from the household freezer of the ill human, was tested by a private third-party laboratory in May and June 2025.
• In August 2024, a four-year-old child became infected with E. coli O157:H7 and subsequently developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), requiring hospitalization and extensive follow-up care. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) provided by the third-party laboratory shows that the E. coli O157:H7 present in the closed product sample of the Darwin’s beef dog food from the household freezer is a genetic match to the E. coli O157:H7 detected in a stool sample from the ill child.
• According to complaint information provided to the FDA, a dog in the household that exclusively ate Darwin’s pet food began vomiting one day before the child fell ill. The dog’s symptoms resolved without veterinary care. 
• The child had direct contact with the family dog but no known direct contact with the contaminated dog food, suggesting that the E. coli O157:H7 exposure may have been via contact with the family dog or through objects or surfaces in contact with the waste of the dog that ate the food.
• Because this incident occurred in 2024, there were no retail samples available for collection and testing when the complaint information and private laboratory results were submitted to the FDA in June 2025. Additionally, Darwin’s Natural Pet Products does not have samples from the same product lot available for additional testing. Therefore, the FDA reviewed the results of the third-party testing conducted by the lab, which is accredited by the FDA Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods (LAAF) program.
• Darwin’s Natural Pet Products are sold online through a subscription service.
• The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance, Inc. recall the product lots that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. To date, the firm has not recalled the affected products. These products, which were manufactured in May or June 2024, were sold frozen, have no expiration date on the label, and could still be in consumers’ freezers. Therefore, the FDA advises consumers to check their freezers for the affected lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products prior to feeding to pets.
• If consumers have any pet food on the list below, they are advised to throw it away in a secure container. Do not feed it to pets. Do not donate the food.
• Clean and disinfect all pet supplies and surfaces that the food or pet had contact with.
• E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella can affect both people and animals. People with symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella infection should consult their health care providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella infection. See information about human and animal symptoms below.

In September 2024 consumers were also warned about Salmonella and Listeria.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners that FDA samples of five Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw cat and dog food made by Arrow Reliance, Inc. tested positive for Salmonella and a sixth FDA sample tested positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono). 
• Affected products are sold in frozen 2-pound packages  and consist of certain lots of Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats and Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs. These product lots should not be fed to pets.
• Darwin’s Natural Selections pet foods are generally sold online through a subscription service. 
• The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance, Inc. recall all six lots of product. To date, the firm has not recalled the affected products and could continue to distribute them. Therefore, FDA advises consumers to keep checking Darwin’s Natural Selection Antibiotic & Grain-Free products for the affected lot numbers prior to feeding to pets.
• If consumers have any pet food on the list below, they are advised to throw it away in a secure container. Do not feed it to your   pets. Do not donate the food.
• Clean and disinfect all pet supplies and surfaces that the food or pet had contact with.
• Salmonella and L. mono can affect both people and animals. People with symptoms of Salmonella or L. mono infection should consult their health care providers. Consult a veterinarian if your pet has symptoms of Salmonella or L. mono infection. See symptom information below.

The affected lots of pet food are in 2-pound white and clear plastic packages with four separate units. The dog food has blue labeling, and the cat food has blue and green labeling. The lot codes are printed on the front of the lower left unit of the package. The affected varieties and lot codes are:

• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats
  • Lot No: 10832 MFG. Date: Jul 25, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats
  • Lot No: 10856 MFG. Date: Aug 04, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats
  • Lot No: 10890 MFG. Date: Aug 13, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot No: 10828 MFG. Date: Jul 24, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot No: 10844 MFG. Date: Jul 30, 2024
• Darwin’s Natural Selections Antibiotic & Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Dogs
  • Lot No: 10887 MFG. Date: Aug 12, 2024

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.