A Portland pet food maker is pulling nearly 2,000 pounds of frozen raw chicken products from stores nationwide after federal testing turned up Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, two pathogens that can sicken pets and the people who handle their food. Northwest Naturals issued the voluntary recall on August 28 for select lots of its Frozen Chicken Recipe cat food and Frozen Raw Diet for Dogs Chicken Recipe, both distributed to retail stores across the country.
The recall covers 53 cases, or 1,272 pounds, of 2-pound bags of the cat food, marked with lot number B-5, UPC 087316384956, and a best-by date of January 26, 2028, according to The Independent. It also includes 19 cases, or 684 pounds, of 6-pound bags of the dog food, carrying lot number B-19 and UPC 087316380392, with a best-by date of January 25, 2028. Altogether, the two products add up to 1,956 pounds of recalled raw pet food. Routine testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that the dog food tested positive for both Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the cat food tested positive for Salmonella.
No illnesses in pets or humans have been reported in connection with the recalled products to date, per the FDA. Consumers who bought the affected bags are being told to stop using them immediately and return any unused portions to the place of purchase, where they can receive a full refund.
Why Raw Pet Food Faces Zero Tolerance
Exposure to Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes poses health risks both to pets and to the humans who handle the products, and bacterial exposure can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever. The FDA's alert goes further, warning that Listeria infection can trigger severe extra-intestinal symptoms in humans, including confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, and carries heightened risks of miscarriage, stillbirth or life-threatening newborn infections in pregnant women.
That risk profile is why raw pet food gets treated so differently than the raw chicken sold for human dinner tables. Under FDA Compliance Policy Guide 690.800, any detectable Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes in finished raw pet food counts as an adulterant, forcing a recall regardless of quantity, according to Viva Raw. By contrast, USDA rules allow up to 25 percent of raw poultry processed for human consumption to test positive for Salmonella, because that meat is expected to be cooked before it's eaten. Raw pet food, meanwhile, is typically thawed and handled in home kitchens without any heating step at all.
The CDC has also flagged what it calls dual exposure pathways: people can pick up foodborne pathogens directly by handling raw pet products, or indirectly through contact with pets, their saliva, or contaminated household surfaces. Pets can shed Salmonella in their feces while showing no symptoms themselves, according to the CDC.
A Familiar Pattern for the Portland Company
This is not Northwest Naturals' first brush with pathogen-related recalls. Back in February 2018, the company voluntarily recalled a single 94-case batch of 5-pound frozen Chicken and Salmon pet food chubs distributed across multiple states after FDA routine testing detected Listeria monocytogenes; no illnesses were reported in connection with that recall either.
More recently, in December 2024, Northwest Naturals recalled a batch of frozen Feline Turkey Recipe following an Oregon state investigation into a cat's death. That recall was terminated in February 2025 after an FDA audit of the company's co-manufacturer found zero evidence of H5N1 avian influenza, per Petfood Industry. The original source of contamination in the opened bag that prompted that state investigation was never identified.
Raw Diets Drive a Disproportionate Share of Recalls
The broader numbers help explain why raw pet food keeps showing up in recall notices. An FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine surveillance study that screened over 1,000 pet food samples nationwide found that 16.3 percent of commercial raw pet food samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes and 7.7 percent tested positive for Salmonella, while dry kibble samples showed virtually no pathogen contamination. Industry analysis of 2026 mid-year FDA recall data found that raw and minimally processed pet foods account for less than 10 percent of total U.S. pet food market sales, yet represent roughly 67 percent of all pathogen-related pet food recalls, according to a pet food safety industry whitepaper.
The Northwest Naturals recall also lands in the middle of a busy stretch for pet product safety alerts. In the same window, a Wisconsin manufacturer recalled 5,825 cases of canned dog food over metal fragments, and Breeder's Edge recalled feline milk replacers over nutrient deficiencies, according to The Sun Times News.
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