Pedigree pet food sold in California recalled

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State public health officials have recalled a type of Pedigree pet food because of possible salmonella contamination, the Associated Press reports.

The California Department of Public Health issued a statement Tuesday pulling certain bags of Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites off of the market.

Mars Petcare US of Franklin, Tenn., which makes the pet food, said in a statement that a possibly contaminated component that should have been held back was accidentally shipped to a Pedigree facility in Tracy, Calif.

It was used in about 100 bags of the food, which were shipped to Albertsons supermarkets in Southern California and to Costco stores statewide. The lot codes for bags sold at Albertsons is 830BFCAT02. The bags sold at Costco have lot numbers of 831BFCAT02 and 830DFCAT02. Both have “best by” dates of July 2009.

There have been no reports of illnesses resulting from the recalled pet food, Mars Petcare said.

Salmonella can cause serious or even fatal abdominal illness, with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, in both people and animals. Sometimes the averse affects don’t show up immediately, so if your pet ate some of the recalled food, a visit to the vet is recommended.

More information about the recall is available by calling (877) 568-4463 or on Mars Petcare’s website.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta