Albrights, Steve's recall raw lots

Raw pet food is back in recall news — and this time the immediate issue is Salmonella in a frozen chicken dog food sold nationwide. Albright’s Raw Pet Food said on May 6 it was recalling one lot of its Chicken Recipe for Dogs Complete and Balanced, and the FDA posted the notice on May 7. The practical problem is simple: contaminated raw food can make pets sick, but it can also make people sick through handling, bowls, countertops, and pet saliva or stool. ### What exactly got recalled? It’s one specific Albright’s product — Chicken Recipe for Dogs Complete and Balanced — sold as frozen 1-pound bricks in clear vacuum packaging, generally in 30-pound cases. This is not a blanket recall of every Albright’s item. The affected lot code is C001730, and the best-by date is April 28, 2027. (fda.gov) ### Why did Albright’s pull it? A composite sample tested positive for Salmonella, which triggered the voluntary recall. That matters because raw diets don’t get a kill step from cooking at home — the bacteria risk you’d normally reduce with heat is still there when the food goes straight from freezer to bowl. ### Who is actually at risk? (fda.gov) Two groups — pets that eat the food and humans who handle it. In pets, Salmonella can show up as lethargy, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, poor appetite, and abdominal pain. But the sneaky part is that some animals show no symptoms and still shed the bacteria, which means they can spread it around the house anyway. (usatoday.com) ### What about people? People can get infected from touching the food, contaminated surfaces, or pets that ate it. The usual symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, cramps, and fever. Severe illness is more likely in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. (fda.gov) ### What should owners do right now? Check the freezer first. If you have Albright’s Chicken Recipe for Dogs lot C001730, stop using it. Then clean bowls, utensils, storage containers, counters, and any surfaces the food touched. If your dog ate it and seems off, call your vet. If a person in the home handled it and has symptoms, call a clinician. (fda.gov) ### Where does Steve’s Real Food fit in? This is where the story gets a little muddled. The current, clearly documented May 2026 recall is Albright’s Salmonella recall. Steve’s Real Food has also been under FDA scrutiny in 2026, but for a different issue — Quest cat food with dangerously low or absent thiamine, a vitamin cats need to avoid serious neurologic illness. FDA said eight lots tested low, while the company had recalled only three at that point. (fda.gov) ### So is this a bigger raw-food problem? Basically, yes — not necessarily one single outbreak, but a recurring category risk. Raw pet food keeps running into the same hazards: bacterial contamination like Salmonella or Listeria, plus formulation failures that matter because these foods are sold as complete diets. That doesn’t mean every raw product is unsafe. It does mean owners need to treat recall notices as urgent, not optional. (petfoodindustry.com) ### Bottom line? The actionable news is narrow but important: one Albright’s chicken dog food lot is under nationwide recall, and pet owners should check for C001730 immediately. The broader lesson is wider — raw pet food carries risks for both pets and people, so freezer inventory and kitchen hygiene matter more than usual. (fda.gov 1) (fda.gov 2)