FDA Expands Recall of GO Raw Freeze-Dried and Frozen Pet Foods After Low Vitamin B1 Tests

The Food and Drug Administration updated its notice on June 8 to expand a recall of certain freeze-dried and frozen raw pet foods produced by GO Raw LLC after laboratory tests found critically low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1) in some products. GO Raw first issued a voluntary recall in February; the company says it believes affected items were removed from retail shelves, but long best-by dates mean packages could still be in home pantries and freezers.

Recalled Products

• Steve’s Real Food — Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried — 1.25-pound bags; Lot Code: C26022; UPC: 6-91730-16402-7; Best-By: 1/22/2028.
• Quest Cat Food — Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Nuggets — 10-ounce bags; Lot Code: C25288; UPC: 6-91730-18103-1; Best-By: 10/15/2027.
• Quest Cat Food — Chicken Recipe Frozen Diet — 2-pound and 12-pound bags; Lot Codes: MCD25350 and MCC25321; UPC: 6-91730-17104-9; Best-By Dates: 5/17/2027 and 6/16/2027.

GO Raw reports these products were distributed across 21 states. A partial list of distribution states includes: Colorado, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, California, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Idaho and Montana.

Why Thiamine Matters

Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential for normal neurologic function and carbohydrate metabolism in dogs and cats. A deficiency can progress quickly — especially in cats — from nonspecific signs like reduced appetite and vomiting to severe neurologic problems, seizures and death.

What To Do If You Bought These Products

• Stop feeding the affected products immediately.
• Return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement.
• Contact GO Raw with purchase questions: [email protected] or 801-432-7478.

When To Call Your Veterinarian

Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has eaten any recalled product and shows concerning signs. Early intervention can be lifesaving.

Early Signs

• Decreased appetite
• Vomiting
• Excessive salivation or drooling
• Weight loss or poor growth

Advanced Neurologic Signs

• Ventroflexion of the neck (head bent toward the floor)
• Mental dullness, confusion or lethargy
• Vision changes
• Unsteady gait, circling, falling or weakness
• Seizures

Background: Risks of Raw Pet Foods

Commercial raw pet foods — products made from uncooked animal-based ingredients — have grown in popularity but frequently appear in FDA recalls. Because raw diets often skip the heat-treatment step used in many commercial pet foods, they can carry increased risk of bacterial contamination such as Listeria and Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes heat treatment helps eliminate these pathogens.

In addition to bacterial hazards, highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) has been linked to commercial raw diets: more than a dozen cases of cats contracting H5N1 from contaminated raw food were reported since 2024. Several companies have issued multiple recalls after pets became ill or died from contaminated raw products.

Context And Related Reporting

Consumer-safety organizations continue to call attention to high-risk food categories. Consumer Reports' 2024 "risky foods" analysis and related USA TODAY coverage highlighted numerous recalls and outbreaks tied to deli meats, produce, raw dairy and ready-to-eat products in 2024.

If you believe your pet is ill after consuming any recalled product, seek veterinary care immediately. For product questions or refunds, contact GO Raw at [email protected] or 801-432-7478.

Consumer Reports, the nonprofit known for testing and monitoring consumer-facing policy and products, releasedits annual risky food reportin April, naming the 10 foods of 2024 that were subject to the most recalls and/or associated with the largest illness outbreaks. USA TODAYbroke it down furtheron a what-you-need-to-know basis.(Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

Deli meat is somewhat of a "risky" food as it is often associated with the spread of listeria, such as in the 2024 case of theBoar's Head listeria outbreakthat killed 10. Listeria monocytogenes is a hardy germ that can survive in very low temperatures but thrives in cool and damp places. It can, and will, happily live on foods in your or your grocery store's storage area, and the process for mass-producing the meat lends itself to plenty of opportunities for contamination.(Lauri Patterson, Getty Images)

Produce, like thecucumbers recalled due to a salmonellaoutbreak that infected 113 people across 23 states, can become adulterated with harmful bacteria through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of the growing area to livestock.(Getty Images)

Raw dairy, which is always unsafe to consume and illegal to sell in some states, poses a risk when it's not pasteurized. Dairy pasteurization, or heating milk products to a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria, has been practiced since the 1920s and has resulted in illnesses commonly spread via milk, such as listeriosis, diphtheria and tuberculosis, becoming less prevalent.(Lisa Baertlein, Reuters)

Cotija and queso fresco cheese are made from unpasteurized milk, meaning they carry an increased risk. One producer,Rizo-Lopez Foods, was shut downin October 2024 after its cheeses were linked to a years-long listeria outbreak that killed two people and made dozens of others sick.(Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez, Getty Images)

Eggs can become contaminated via the same means as cucumbers and other raw produce, especially if they have a cracked shell.(Getty Images)

Like other raw produce, onions can become infected via fecal contamination. In 2024, E. coli-contaminated slivered onions onMcDonald's Quarter Pounderstriggered some locations to stop serving the burger temporarily.(iStockphoto, Getty Images)

Like cucumbers and onions, leafy greens are easily contaminated with bacteria like E. coli, as in the case of theSolata Foodsspinach recall in 2024.(Edalin, Getty Images)

Organic carrots were linked to amajor E. coli outbreakin late 2024, leaving at least 39 ill and one dead.(Hyrma, Getty Images)

Ready-to-eat/cooked poultry and meat have been the source of multiple major recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years. The same issue arises with RTE foods as with deli meat; the conditions they are made and stored under are often ideal for bacteria such as listeria to grow. In 2024,millions of pounds of RTE foods were recalled by BrucePacfor listeria contamination.(Getty Images)

Recalled Quest raw cat food.