Health warning issued after condemned pet food stolen for resale

Contaminated pet food is being illegally sold across Gauteng, in particular in Germiston, Boksburg, Benoni and Alberton. This is according to RCL Foods, which is appealing to shoppers not to purchase or use the condemned pet food. The products were stolen after being sent to a waste management facility in eastern Gauteng in late January and February, the company said.

“The stolen products may be contaminated with salmonella and could cause illness in pets and humans. Our overriding concern is for the health and wellbeing of shoppers and their pets,” said RCL Foods CEO Paul Cruickshank. Symptoms of salmonella, in humans and animals, may include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting, dehydration and fatigue.

The affected products are limited to specific batch numbers within the following dry pet food ranges: “We are very concerned criminals are selling condemned pet food products which may be unsafe. We are tracing and removing affected stock from the informal market, have launched an investigation and will pursue criminal charges.” “Our immediate priority is to remove all stolen products we can find in circulation to reduce the risk. But as a precaution, we are notifying shoppers and appealing to them to please contact our customer care line immediately if they believe they may be in possession of the stolen product,” said Cruickshank.

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Cruickshank said the affected and condemned stock represented a very small part of production. “In this instance, our in-production quality control processes identified traces of salmonella. None of the affected products were approved for sale. All were condemned and dispatched for controlled destruction at a specialist facility.

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