Blue Ridge Beef recalls more than 1,300 pounds of cat food over salmonella contamination

Blue Ridge Beef is recalling more than 1,000 pounds of cat food due over salmonella contamination.

About 1,350 pounds of the North Carolina business’s 2-pound logs of Kitten Mix are part of the recall. According to a press release from the Food and Drug Administration, the recall was initiated after a customer complaint from Massachusetts.

“Due to a customer complaint of animal illness, a sample of the product was collected on 12/12/2024 by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources and tested by the Massachusetts State community Health Laboratory,” the release said.

According to the FDA, the sample taken by Massachusetts officials came back positive for salmonella. Officials also said the products were distributed between July 18 and July 26, 2024, and were sold in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and recent York.

What products were recalled

Symptoms of salmonella infection

Salmonella is a bacteria that can enter the food production chain when the procedure isn’t sanitary and when workers handling food do not wash their hands, the FDA says. Salmonella can be spread via contaminated water errantly used to irrigate crops, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of salmonella infection, or salmonellosis, usually occur between six hours and six days after exposure and may include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, the CDC says.

Severe infections may include aches, headaches, elevated fever, lethargy, rashes, and blood in the urine or stool. Some salmonella infections may become fatal.

Salmonella causes about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. annually, according to the CDC.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and pursue him on X @fern_cerv_.