Pet Digest

How to Read Pet Food Recall Notices & Lot Numbers When you see a pet food recall in the news, the first question is always: “Does this affect my dog’s food?” The answer depends on the details in the recall notice — and those details can look confusing if you’re not used to reading them. Let’s break it down so you’ll always know what to look for. Key Parts of a Recall Notice Most official recall announcements include the same pieces of information. Here’s what matters: Brand and product name: Example: Blue Ridge Beef Puppy Mix. Package size or format: 2 lb chubs, 12 oz cans, 24 lb bags, etc. Lot number / batch code: A unique code printed on the packaging, usually near the expiration date. This is the most important detail because recalls rarely affect every product made by a company. Best by / expiration date: Tells you when the product should be used by — often paired with the lot number for identification. Reason for recall: Contamination (like Salmone...

Dog Food Recalls in 2025: What Pet Parents Need to Know 2025 has already seen several dog food recalls , many tied to Salmonella and Listeria contamination. Brands like Blue Ridge Beef pulled certain lots of Puppy Mix and Kitten Mix from shelves, while Supercan Bulk recalled pig ear slivers and Savage Pet announced a cat food recall. For pet parents, these headlines can be alarming. But not all recalls mean the same thing — some are voluntary , while others are mandated. So what’s the difference? Why Recalls Happen Pet food recalls usually occur when a product may be unsafe due to contamination or labeling errors. Common triggers include: Bacterial contamination — Salmonella and Listeria can make pets (and humans handling food) sick. Nutritional imbalances — for example, vitamin D overdoses or taurine deficiencies. Foreign objects — plastic, metal, or other materials slipping into a batch. Mislabeling — wrong ingredients or undeclared allergens. Voluntary ...

Next-Gen Pet Food: Cultivated Meat and Feeding Innovations in 2025 If 2025 proved anything, it’s that the future of pet food is already here. Beyond fresh meals and functional chews, the year brought bold innovations — including the world’s first retail launch of cultivated meat for pets. These breakthroughs aren’t just about novelty; they’re reshaping how we think about sustainability, animal welfare, and the way we feed our companions. Meatly: Cultivated Meat Arrives The star innovation of the year came from Meatly , the first company to bring cultivated meat into the pet food aisle. Teaming up with UK-based brand THE PACK and available at Pets at Home Brentford, Meatly introduced the world’s first retail-ready cultivated chicken ingredient in pet food. Cultivated meat, sometimes called “lab-grown meat,” is produced by taking a small sample of animal cells and growing them in a nutrient-rich environment. The result? Real animal protein without the need to raise and slaught...

Supplements Go Functional: Everyday Wellness Trends in 2025 Supplements aren’t just for senior dogs anymore. In 2025, functional supplements became one of the fastest-growing categories in pet care. Instead of pills and powders, brands are rolling out tasty chews designed to be part of a dog’s daily routine — much like a multivitamin for people. This shift marks a major evolution in how pet parents view wellness: not just about solving problems, but about proactive, preventive care for dogs of all ages. From Medicine Cabinet to Daily Routine Traditionally, supplements for dogs were used in very specific cases — glucosamine for arthritis, probiotics for diarrhea, fish oil for skin conditions. They were usually powders sprinkled on food or pills hidden in peanut butter, often reserved for older pets or those with health issues. But just as human wellness has embraced probiotics, collagen, adaptogens, and daily multivitamins, pet care is now catching up. According to industry surv...

The Fresh Food Revolution: How Fresh Pet Food Took Over in 2025 For years, fresh dog food was considered niche — the kind of thing only boutique brands or subscription companies offered. But in 2025, everything changed. Fresh feeding went mainstream, with some of the world’s biggest names in pet food entering the category in a big way. This isn’t just a trend. It’s a long-overdue shift. Fresh food is finally being recognized as what dogs were meant to eat all along: real, biologically appropriate nutrition that avoids fillers, dyes, and excess processing. Let’s explore the biggest launches shaping the fresh food revolution, and then we’ll rank them by health metrics and pet preference. --- Royal Canin Fresh Health Nutrition Known for science-based, breed- and life-stage formulas, Royal Canin made waves with Fresh Health Nutrition, a gently cooked line tailored for puppies, adults, and seniors. It’s one of the first times a global veterinary-backed brand has entered fresh feeding, signa...

How Pet Food Changed in 2025: Fresh, Functional, and Future-Forward Pet food in 2025 looks very different from just a few years ago. What used to be niche — fresh food, functional supplements, even lab-grown meat — is quickly becoming mainstream. As fall approaches, here’s a look at the biggest launches and what they reveal about where the industry is headed. The Fresh Food Revolution From giant corporations to boutique brands, “fresh” is the hottest word in pet nutrition this year. Royal Canin entered the space with Fresh Health Nutrition, a line of gently cooked, science-based recipes tailored to life stages. Jinx Fresh introduced refrigerated options like Cage-Free Turkey & Sockeye Salmon, while Blue Buffalo prepares to launch Love Made Fresh nationwide. General Mills brought Edgard & Cooper from Europe into PetSmart, and Full Moon debuted Freshly Crafted™, a frozen line made with human-grade ingredients. Together, these moves prove that fresh isn’t a fad — it’s becoming an ...