Has Farmina Ever Been Recalled? Safety Record, Lot Code Checks and Safe Storage at Home

Short answer: Yes. Farmina Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall of select North American lots in October 2023 over potential Salmonella contamination, publicized through the U.S. FDA. No broad recall has followed since. Every other lot stayed on shelves, and the brand's dry formulas remain widely sold across Canada today.

Quick summary: Farmina's only significant North American recall was a 2023 voluntary withdrawal of specific production lots flagged for possible Salmonella, not a company-wide action. Checking the lot code and best-before date printed on the back of the bag takes about 30 seconds and is the only reliable way to confirm your bag isn't affected. Proper storage — original bag, sealed container, under 26°C — matters more to day-to-day food safety than recall anxiety does.

Has Farmina ever been recalled, and what exactly happened?

Farmina Pet Foods has had one notable recall affecting the North American market: an October 2023 voluntary recall of specific lots of Farmina N&D dry dog and cat food after Salmonella was detected in sampling. The action covered identified production lots only, not the full product line, and was announced publicly through regulatory channels.

That distinction matters. A lot-specific recall means investigators traced a contamination risk to a defined production window — a batch, a date range, a plant run — rather than a systemic formulation or sourcing failure. The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine maintains the authoritative searchable archive of pet food recalls and withdrawals, and it's the page we point people to rather than relying on secondhand blog roundups, which frequently reproduce stale or garbled lot lists. Canadian owners should also keep an eye on advisories from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, which circulates veterinary-facing alerts when a product sold here is implicated.

For context on how common this is: the FDA's animal food recall archive logs dozens of entries in a typical year across the whole industry, spanning kibble, raw, treats and supplements. Causes cluster around four issues — Salmonella or Listeria detection, elevated vitamin D, aflatoxin in grain-containing batches, and foreign material like plastic or metal fragments. A single lot-level event in a brand's North American history is, by the standards of that archive, an unremarkable safety record.

What was actually recalled in the 2023 Farmina action?

The 2023 recall covered select lots of Farmina N&D dry dog and cat formulas distributed in North America, identified by lot number and best-before date. Consumers were told to stop feeding the affected lots and return them. Because exact lot identifiers are long and easy to mistype, always verify yours against the official FDA notice rather than a summary.

Salmonella in dry pet food is primarily a human-handling risk. The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that healthy adult dogs frequently shed the bacteria without clinical signs, while immunocompromised people, children under five and adults over 65 face the greater danger from contaminated bowls, scoops and hands. That's why recall notices always include handwashing and surface-sanitizing instructions alongside the return advice.

Is Farmina safe for dogs, and what does its quality control involve?

Farmina manufactures its N&D line in company-owned plants in Italy and Serbia rather than outsourcing to third-party co-packers, which gives it direct control over ingredient intake testing, cooking parameters and finished-batch holds. The company publishes nutritional research partnerships with the University of Naples Federico II and formulates to AAFCO nutrient profiles for products sold in North America.

Owned manufacturing is the single most useful quality-control signal a shopper can check on any brand. When a company runs its own line, a contamination trace stops at one facility with one set of records. Co-packed brands share equipment with other labels, which is why a single plant problem can trigger recalls across several unrelated brand names simultaneously.

On the nutrition side, Farmina's N&D range is built around two architectures the brand describes openly: Prime (grain-free, roughly 70% animal ingredients with fruits and vegetables) and Ancestral Grain (roughly 60% animal ingredients with low-glycemic spelt and oats). Typical adult dry formulas land near 30% crude protein and 18% crude fat on the guaranteed analysis, with calorie density often in the 3,800–4,100 kcal/kg range — dense enough that cup-for-cup you may feed noticeably less than a mid-tier kibble. Always read the guaranteed analysis panel on your specific bag, since values shift by recipe and life-stage formulation.

AAFCO sets the minimums these products are measured against: 18% protein and 5.5% fat on a dry-matter basis for adult dog maintenance, rising to 22.5% protein for growth and reproduction. A 2026 revision cycle continues to refine labelling language around nutritional adequacy statements, so the box of fine print beside the ingredient list is worth two minutes of your attention.

Does one past recall mean I should switch brands?

Not automatically. A lot-specific voluntary recall that a company self-initiates and publicizes is generally read by food-safety professionals as evidence the traceability system worked. The warning signs worth acting on are repeated recalls for the same root cause, refusal to identify affected lots, or delayed disclosure after illness reports.

Customers often ask us whether they should pre-emptively rotate away from any brand with a recall in its past. Our honest position: almost every large manufacturer with a decade-plus of production history has at least one. What we suggest instead is keeping your dog's diet flexible enough that a withdrawal isn't a crisis — know two formulas your dog tolerates, from two different manufacturers, so you can pivot in a day. You can compare options across our dry dog food collection or browse the full dog food range to find a backup that matches your current protein and fat targets.

How do I check a Farmina lot code on my bag?

Find the laser-printed code on the back or bottom seam of the bag — it includes a production lot identifier and a best-before date, usually stamped in the same block. Photograph it with your phone the day you open the bag, then compare the characters against the official recall notice. Never rely on the shelf tag or receipt.

A few practical notes from handling hundreds of bags a week:

• Location varies by bag size. Smaller 2 kg and 2.5 kg bags often carry the code high on the reverse panel; larger 12 kg sacks tend to have it near the bottom gusset.
• Ink is heat-transferred, not printed in advance. It can scuff. If your code is smudged, the brand's consumer line can usually identify the lot from the best-before date plus the recipe name.
• Keep the code until the bag is empty. If you decant into a bin, cut the code panel out and tape it to the container lid. Our team at Ashario Pets recommends this to anyone buying the larger sizes — it's the one step that turns a recall announcement from a guessing game into a 30-second check.
• Check character by character. Recall notices frequently list lots that differ by a single digit from unaffected production runs.

Where do I report a problem with a bag of pet food in Canada?

Report suspected contamination or illness to your veterinarian first, then to the manufacturer with the lot code in hand, and to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Keep the remaining food sealed in its original bag — do not throw it out — because the bag and its lot code are the only physical evidence an investigator can test.

If your dog shows vomiting, bloody diarrhea, lethargy or fever after a food change, that's a veterinary call, not an internet question. We don't diagnose at the counter, and no retailer should. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control resources are useful for triage context, but a same-day clinic visit is the correct step for an acutely unwell dog.

Prime vs Ancestral Grain: which Farmina architecture suits your dog?

Both lines are formulated to AAFCO profiles and manufactured on the same owned facilities; the difference is carbohydrate source. Prime removes grains entirely, while Ancestral Grain uses low-glycemic spelt and oats in place of corn, wheat and rice.

One caution worth repeating: if you're considering grain-free specifically, read the FDA's ongoing material on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy and discuss it with your veterinarian, particularly for breeds with known cardiac predispositions. That conversation belongs in a clinic, not a retail aisle.

Storing kibble safely at home: what actually degrades food quality

Oxidation and moisture ruin far more pet food than recalls ever do. Store kibble in its original bag, placed inside a sealed container, at under 26°C (80°F), away from direct sun, and aim to finish an opened bag within four to six weeks.

The original bag matters because it's a multi-layer barrier engineered to slow fat oxidation — pouring kibble directly into a plastic bin exposes the fat to oxygen and leaves rancid residue on the bin walls that contaminates the next fill. Wash and fully dry any container between bags.

Toronto-area homes create two specific problems. In July and August, GTA humidity regularly sits above 70%, and a bag stored in a basement or garage can draw enough moisture to soften kibble and support mould. Then in February, people stash food in an unheated garage near High Park or in a condo locker, where repeated freeze-thaw cycles cause condensation inside the bag every time it's brought in. Neither extreme is good. A pantry shelf in the main living space is the boring, correct answer.

Other habits worth adopting:

• Wash food bowls daily with hot soapy water — biofilm builds within 24 hours.
• Use a dedicated scoop and store it outside the bag, not buried in the kibble.
• Buy a bag size you'll finish in roughly a month; a 12 kg bag feeding a 10 kg dog at 150 g per day lasts about 80 days, which is too long for peak freshness.
• Note the date you opened each bag directly on the code panel.

Should supplements and treats be stored the same way?

No. Oil-based supplements containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids oxidize faster than kibble and generally belong in the refrigerator after opening. Probiotic powders lose viable colony counts with heat and humidity exposure, and freeze-dried treats need an airtight seal to stay crisp.

Joint products containing glucosamine, fish-oil capsules and taurine-fortified blends all have shorter practical shelf lives than dry food once the seal is broken. Check each label for a post-opening window. You'll find these across our dog health and wellness range, and our staff can walk you through storage specifics for anything you pick up.

Practical next steps for Farmina feeders in the GTA

Three concrete actions close the loop: photograph your current lot code, bookmark the FDA animal food recall page, and identify one alternate formula your dog tolerates in case a withdrawal affects your bag.

In our store we see owners handle this well by keeping a small second bag — 2 to 2.5 kg — of a different brand on hand as insurance. It also gives you a tested option for travel or boarding. If you want help matching protein and kcal values between two formulas so the swap doesn't upset digestion, bring your current bag in; reading two guaranteed analysis panels side by side takes about five minutes. You can also pre-shop by browsing our premium pet food selection or our top pet brands in Canada overview.

Transitions should run 7 to 10 days: 25% new food for three days, 50% for three days, 75% for two days, then full switch. Dogs with sensitive stomachs may need 14. Adding a topper from our wet dog food shelf often improves acceptance during the crossover without disrupting the macros much, since most toppers contribute under 10% of daily kcal when used at label rates.

Our store at 1111A Finch Ave W, Unit 2, North York, ON M3J 2P7 is open 7 AM to 11 PM daily, with local delivery available via DoorDash and other apps. If you'd rather sort it out before you visit, our pet store FAQ covers stock and ordering questions, or you can contact our team directly.