NUTRITION & DIET

Northwest Naturals Raw Pet Food Recall (August 2026): Which Lots, and What to Do

Last updated: October 23, 2026 · Written by Sam, Founder

A person checking the lot code printed on a bag of frozen raw pet food in a kitchen

Two Northwest Naturals frozen raw chicken foods were recalled Aug 28, 2026 for Salmonella and Listeria. Lot numbers, UPCs, symptoms and refunds.

Short answer: on August 28, 2026, Northwest Naturals of Portland, Oregon recalled two frozen raw chicken pet foods after FDA testing found Salmonella in both and Listeria monocytogenes in one. Only Lot B-5 of the 2-lb Frozen Chicken Recipe and Lot B-19 of the 6-lb Frozen Raw Diet for Dogs Chicken Recipe are affected. No illnesses had been reported. If you have either lot, stop feeding it and return it to the store for a full refund.

The Recalled Products

Product	Size	Lot	Best by	UPC	Found
Northwest Naturals Frozen Chicken Recipe (cat food; also sold as a dog topper)	2 lb bag	B-5	01/26/2028	087316384956	Salmonella
Northwest Naturals Frozen Raw Diet for Dogs Chicken Recipe	6 lb bag	B-19	01/25/2028	087316380392	Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes

In total the recall covers 72 cases — about 1,956 pounds of food — sent to retail stores nationwide. The FDA notice doesn’t list specific states or retailers, so check any Northwest Naturals chicken product in your freezer. The lot number and best-by date are printed on the bag; only bags matching both the lot and best-by date above are included.

Frozen raw pet food patties on a clean cutting board beside a stainless steel pet bowl — Freezing slows bacteria but doesn't kill Salmonella or Listeria, according to the CDC.

What to Do Right Now

Check the lot and best-by date on any Northwest Naturals chicken product you have.
Stop feeding it if it matches, even if your pet has eaten it before without problems.
Return it for a refund where you bought it — or double-bag it and put it in a secure trash can other animals can’t get into.
Clean up: wash bowls, scoops, counters, and the freezer shelf with hot soapy water, then disinfect; wash your hands well.
Pick up your pet’s feces promptly for the next few weeks and bag them — pets can shed Salmonella without looking sick.
Call your vet if your pet ate the food and develops vomiting, diarrhea (especially bloody), fever, lethargy or stops eating.

Questions for the company go to 1-866-637-1872 (Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Pacific) or recallinfo@nw-naturals.net, per the FDA notice.

Why This Matters for People in the Household, Too

The FDA notice warns that people handling contaminated pet food can get sick. Salmonella causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and fever; Listeria can also cause headache, muscle aches, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, and is especially dangerous in pregnancy. The CDC notes that children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. Anyone with those symptoms after handling the food should contact a doctor.

Raw Diets Carry a Higher Contamination Risk

This isn’t an unusual event for raw food. When the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine tested 196 raw pet food samples, 15 were positive for Salmonella and 32 for Listeria monocytogenes, while other types of pet food it tested showed little or no contamination. The CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food or treats, and notes that freezing, freeze-drying and dehydrating raw meat “only reduces the amount of germs” rather than killing them. The AVMA discourages feeding any animal protein that hasn’t been processed to eliminate pathogens.

Northwest Naturals was one of several raw brands recalled in 2026. Earlier this summer, Oma’s Pride recalled one lot of its 6-lb Woof Complete Canine Chicken Recipe (August 17) after three dogs became ill, and Albright’s Raw recalled a lot of its Select Chicken Recipe for Dogs in May, both over Salmonella. Raw poultry diets have also been linked to H5N1 bird flu infections in cats. For the bigger picture, see why pet food recalls keep happening in 2026.

A person washing a pet food bowl with hot soapy water at a kitchen sink — Wash bowls, scoops and surfaces with hot soapy water, then disinfect, after handling recalled raw food.

If You Choose to Keep Feeding Raw

If you continue feeding raw, treat it like raw meat for your own dinner: thaw it in the fridge, keep it apart from human food, wash hands and surfaces after every meal, pick up uneaten food promptly, and don’t let pets lick faces after eating. Products made with high-pressure processing (HPP) are designed to reduce pathogens, though no process makes raw food risk-free. Older pets and households with young children, pregnant or immunocompromised people are the strongest case for a cooked diet — see our look at raw dog food safety for senior dogs.

To keep track of future recalls, our guide on how to check if your dog food has been recalled walks through the FDA and AVMA recall lists.

The Bottom Line

Only two specific lots are affected, and no illnesses had been reported — but Salmonella and Listeria risks extend to the whole household. Check your freezer, return or safely discard any matching bag, clean up thoroughly, and call your vet if your pet shows signs of illness.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace guidance from your veterinarian. Recall details are from the FDA notice of August 28, 2026; check the FDA site for any updates.

Sources

U.S. FDA — Northwest Naturals Voluntarily Recalls Two Raw Pet Food Products Because of Possible Salmonella & Listeria Monocytogenes Health Risk, August 28, 2026
Food Safety News — Pet food recalled because of contamination with Listeria and Salmonella, August 31, 2026
CDC — About Pet Food Safety
U.S. FDA — Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets Can Be Dangerous to You and Your Pet
AVMA — Raw or undercooked animal-source protein in cat and dog diets (policy)
U.S. FDA — Oma’s Pride recall of Woof Complete Canine Chicken Recipe, August 2026
Pet Age — Northwest Naturals update on the 2024 turkey cat food recall, February 19, 2025

FAQ

Which Northwest Naturals products were recalled in August 2026?

Two frozen raw products: the 2-lb Northwest Naturals Frozen Chicken Recipe (sold as cat food and a dog topper), Lot B-5, best by 01/26/2028, UPC 087316384956; and the 6-lb Frozen Raw Diet for Dogs Chicken Recipe, Lot B-19, best by 01/25/2028, UPC 087316380392. No other lots or products are part of this recall.

Has any pet gotten sick?

No illnesses had been reported when the recall was announced on August 28, 2026, and no update reporting illnesses had been published as of September 21, 2026. The contamination was found through FDA product sampling, not through reports of sick animals.

What should I do if I have the recalled food?

Stop feeding it and return the unused portion to the store for a full refund, as the FDA notice advises. If you throw it away instead, seal it in a double bag in a secure trash can so other animals can't reach it, then wash your hands and clean any surfaces, bowls or freezer spaces it touched.

What are the symptoms of Salmonella or Listeria in pets?

According to the FDA notice, infected pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets show only a decreased appetite, fever and belly pain. Pets can also carry Salmonella without looking ill and shed it in their feces. Call your vet if your pet ate the recalled food and shows any of these signs.

Can people get sick from handling recalled raw pet food?

Yes. Salmonella and Listeria can spread to people who handle the food or touch contaminated surfaces, bowls or pet feces. The CDC notes that children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system are at higher risk of serious illness.

Is this the same as the Northwest Naturals bird flu recall?

No. In December 2024 Northwest Naturals recalled a turkey cat food over a possible H5N1 bird flu link; a later FDA facility audit found no evidence of the virus, and that recall was closed in February 2025. The August 2026 recall is a separate event involving bacteria, not a virus.