RCL Foods has issued a nationwide recall of certain dry pet food product lines that may be contaminated with Salmonella.

In a statement issued on Thursday, 5 March, the company said the potential contamination occurred in one of its facilities.

RCL Foods explained that following the recent theft of condemned dry pet food that had been sent to a waste management facility in eastern Gauteng for destruction, they instituted further checks on potentially contaminated product, confirming that some of these batches are in the formal trade.

The company had previously warned consumers not to purchase the stolen contaminated products that were offered on the informal market.

A country‑wide recall has now been issued of limited batches of Bobtail, Bonzo, Catmor, Canine Cuisine, Feline Cuisine, Optimizor and Ultra Pet Dog food manufactured at one of their pet food plants.

RCL FOODS says it is working closely with retailers, regulators and relevant authorities to identify and remove all affected products from the market.

Shoppers who have purchased any of the affected pet food batches are asked to return the product to their retailer for a refund or replacement.

“In addition to the ongoing investigation into theft of condemned product, independent experts have been appointed to determine how product that had been marked for destruction, entered the formal market.”

Preliminary internal assessments indicate that some product, which was condemned and marked for destruction, was erroneously released to the formal trade.

RCL FOODS Chief Executive Officer, Paul Cruickshank says at this stage, they are not aware of any animals or people having been affected.

However, shoppers are advised to exercise caution.

“On behalf of RCL FOODS, I want to apologise to all affected shoppers. Our primary concern is the health and well-being of shoppers and their pets. Our immediate priority is to recall, remove and replace all potentially affected products from circulation. We did not meet our own standards. This is not what our customers expect from RCL FOODS. We are taking every step necessary to rectify the situation.”

THE FULL LIST OF RECALLED PRODUCTS

For further assistance, consumers can reach out to the RCL Foods Customer Care team via:

• Telephone: 0860 103 764 (24 hours)
• WhatsApp: 087 359 0476
• Email: RCLConsumerCare@rclfoods.com (Business hours)