Avian Influenza FAQ

We’ve been closely monitoring the bird flu (H5N1) outbreak alongside our suppliers since 2022 and there’s understandably a lot of concerns with the recent developments. We wanted to share an update on the measures we, as well as our farms, have in place to ensure our food is safe for both you & your pets. This is an evolving situation and we’ll be keeping everyone updated as we continue to have conversations with our suppliers, scientists, and regulators.  

• USDA Sourcing & Testing Requirements First, all of our poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) farms are USDA inspected and a part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan. This means all of our farms are testing for H5/H7 subtypes of avian influenza before slaughter. In each flock, tracheal, oropharyngeal, cloacal swabs, or blood samples are gathered from a randomized selection of birds which are then sent to third party labs. Any flock that tests positive for the virus, even if it’s just from a few birds, will not be harvested and will be euthanized to prevent further spread. 
• Surveillance & Monitoring If outbreaks are detected near a farm, then our farms will increase flock testing to weekly regardless of whether or not they will be processed and the number of samples collected per flock are doubled. Since bird flu spreads in a highly geographical way, we are monitoring this closely.
  
• Biosecurity Measures All of our poultry suppliers raise their birds in enclosed barns to prevent contact with wildlife (especially wild birds) and have also implemented heightened biosecurity measures including limiting visitor access, wearing full protective equipment (gloves, gowns, shoe covers) when entering barns, disinfecting tires of any vehicles that come on premise, and removing any fixtures that may attract wildlife. Flocks are also inspected daily for any signs of illness.  
  
• Rigorous Supplier Verification Our food safety plan has been updated with more robust supplier controls which includes requiring documentation on their testing programs, safety measures, and conducting risk assessments based on geography and outbreak proximity.

What about your beef supply? 

Although dairy cattle have been affected by bird flu outbreaks, currently, there have been no reported outbreaks in beef cattle. USDA conducted sampling earlier this year on retail ground beef samples in areas where dairy cattle herds have been affected and found no presence of viral particles in any of their samples. We are in communication with our beef suppliers and monitoring the situation closely.

Will you be testing your products for bird flu? 

Our products currently aren’t being tested for avian influenza since tests there are no commercially available and validated tests in meat products. Although testing is available to regulatory agencies at government laboratories, commercial laboratories will need to work closely with regulators to make testing available to manufacturers. We are actively working with our laboratory partners and regulators to push for a test. For more details, please review our blog post!

Closing Thoughts 

Many of you have likely seen similar messages from other raw pet food companies and we’ve spent the past few days in many conversations with our suppliers, labs, and food safety experts. Avian influenza has been a challenge for the poultry industry for decades and this specific strain has been affecting the industry since early 2022, causing meat & egg shortages over the past few years. Although the situation is rapidly evolving, we know our suppliers are highly experienced & dedicated to the health of their birds & the safety of their products. We’ll continue to look into additional measures to further ensure the safety of our food and keep the community informed on any developments.