August 25th, 2025
To our customers,
We wanted to share additional information regarding our recall of Beef recipes from Lot 21495 and Chicken recipes from Lot 21975. At the bottom of this page, you'll find the notice that was emailed to all customers who received products from these lots.
In addition to direct communication with potentially affected customers and the common questions listed below, we wanted to provide you with more information:
Four years ago, we founded Viva after seeing just how large an impact nutrition had on our own pup, Karoo. From sourcing to formulation to the customer experience, we poured ourselves into every part of Viva because from the very beginning, we wanted to create something that would give your pets the very best and bring our community together around better nutrition and pet health.
After our first recall in 2024, we committed ourselves to making meaningful improvements. Over the past year, we’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours into research, lab testing, and enhancing our food safety systems. We consulted experts, ran validation studies across different pathogen control technologies, strengthened testing of our raw materials, finished products, and production environment, and overhauled sanitation procedures—all to improve the way we make your pets’ food.
The raw pet food industry has always faced challenges in acceptance, and we wanted to help set higher standards. Along the way, we’ve shared what we’ve learned, hoping to educate not just our community, but the broader industry as well.
We sample every few minutes from the production line so that we have a high degree of confidence in our test results for every lot. Our sampling procedure is designed in a way that if there were issues with our lot, we would have the best chance of identifying and addressing them before they impacted any of our customers. In the past, we’ve found issues through our own testing, and even though it wasn’t an easy process, we disposed of all affected products. Ultimately, it was a sign that our systems were working and that we were keeping our customers safe.
Given the sample results from NCDA, we have launched a thorough investigation into our product testing, sanitation procedures & pathogen intervention, and will be exploring additional technologies to see where we can add more safeguards. As always, we will continue sharing our learnings and updates with our community.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with our support team, and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Our mission has always been to provide the very best for your pets, and we remain fully committed to that goal.
💜 Zach, Jenn, and the entire Viva Team
Questions
What happened?
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture collected routine product samples from our warehouse. Samples from Chunked Chicken for Dogs (Lot 21975) were positive for Salmonella spp., and samples of our Recipe for Puppies (Lot 21495) were positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
After being made aware of these results, we worked with regulatory agencies to promptly notify our customers.
What products and lot numbers are affected?
The only products affected by this notice are listed below. Only customers who have received a direct email notice (linked below) received products from these lots.
- Ground Beef for Dogs - Lot 21495
- Beef & Turkey Recipe for Puppies - Lot 21495
- Ground Chicken for Dog - Lot 21975
- Chunked Chicken for Dogs - Lot 21975
- Chicken for Cats - Lot 21975
- Pure Chicken - Lot 21975
How do I know if I've received product from this lot, and what should I do if I have remaining product?
Only customers who have received a direct email notice (linked below) received products from the affected lots. Do not feed the product and safely dispose of it according to the instructions in the notice. Please submit the response form linked in your notice so that we can process a refund for any remaining packages.
Are there any reported illnesses related to this lot?
To date, we have no reports of any illness linked to the lot.
What do you do to ensure your food is safe?
We take a multi-layered approach to food safety, starting with sourcing the highest quality USDA-inspected meat and adding probiotics specifically designed to eliminate pathogens. These probiotics have been tested in our food to ensure they are effective against harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes and have shown that these probiotics consistently reduce these bacteria to undetectable levels. Beyond lab testing, we also test the probiotics concentration in every batch of our finished product to ensure even distribution in the meat. In addition, we manufacture in a USDA kitchen with strict cleaning & sanitation protocols, including daily testing of our production environment for pathogens and using ATP tests to monitor cleanliness.
Furthermore, we only process 1 protein per day to prevent cross-contamination and perform a thorough cleaning of the facility at the end of the day. The production area is also tested daily for pathogens and monitored with ATP swabbing to ensure cleanliness. This video demonstrates some of our food safety practices.
Finally, each lot of our product is always tested for Salmonella spp., E. Coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes with an accredited 3rd party lab before shipping, and many samples are collected from each lot to ensure that we have a high statistical confidence in our results. All products are held until their test results are returned and cleared.
To learn more about our food safety practices, please review the following:
What will you do to prevent issues like this in the future?
We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the root cause of this issue. While we remain confident in the strength of our current food safety processes, we are always looking to evolve our practices. That’s why we’re working closely with food scientists & microbiologists to evaluate additional technologies and identify ways to further strengthen our manufacturing and sanitation practices. Our priority is, and always will be, delivering products you can feel confident feeding every day.
How do I get in touch if I have more questions?
Our email is info@vivarawpets.com, and you can text us at 919-371-8882, Monday - Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST. We’re a small team, so we appreciate your patience as we work to help you guys.