The Justice Department has asked a federal court to permanently stop a Washington state company from making and selling raw pet food, alleging that it continued to distribute products contaminated with dangerous bacteria despite FDA warnings dating back nearly a decade.
The civil complaint was filed on August 7, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and announced by the department four days later. It names Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin's Natural Pet Products, along with the company's founder and chief executive, Gary T. Tashjian. The government alleges violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including failure to follow required preventive controls, which it says allowed the uncooked products to become adulterated.
One figure conveys the scope of the government's case. Pathogens were found in 12 of the 18 most recent samples collected by the FDA. According to the complaint, investigators identified Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in the company's finished products from samples collected between 2017 and 2025, and in 2024 found Salmonella within the company's Tukwila facility itself.
These are allegations that a court has not evaluated. Tashjian said in a statement that the company takes compliance with FDA requirements seriously and pointed to its manufacturing and sourcing standards as the means by which it ensures product quality.
The Bowl Is Not the Boundary
The reason a pet food case belongs in a health publication comes down to a distinction the FDA has drawn repeatedly.
The agency regulates pet food, while the USDA regulates meat and poultry for people. Raw meat sold for human consumption is intended to be cooked and carries instructions saying so. Raw pet food is designed to be served without cooking, which the FDA says creates a potential health hazard for both people and pets exposed to it.
The exposure pathway in a household is ordinary and constant. Someone thaws a portion, opens a package, scoops a bowl, rinses the bowl in the kitchen sink, wipes the counter, then handles a phone or a child's snack. The pet itself becomes a vector, since an animal can carry and shed bacteria without appearing sick.
That is why the harms alleged in the complaint are not limited to animals. In 2024, a four-year-old child fell ill with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection and developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can damage the kidneys, after the family dog was fed the company's products. Third-party laboratory testing of the family's unopened pet food confirmed the presence of both Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. The FDA was informed of the case in June 2025.
"Despite repeated FDA warnings, this company continues to manufacture and distribute products contaminated with harmful bacteria," said Timothy Schell, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, in the department's announcement.
The Complaint Records Illnesses and Deaths in Pets
The animal-side numbers in the filing are substantial and span a decade.
From 2016 through January 2026, the FDA received 49 consumer complaints involving sick pets that had been fed Darwin's raw pet food. The complaints describe 34 sick dogs, five of which died, and 35 sick cats, four of which died.
Individual incidents in the complaint show how the products reached households. In September 2023, four cats in one home became ill after eating a Darwin's cat food, and an unopened sample collected from the owner's home tested positive for Salmonella. In August 2025, the FDA received a report of a dog death, and unopened packages collected from that owner's home tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes in one instance and for both Salmonella and Listeria in another.
The pattern of unopened packages testing positive matters. It means the contamination was present when the product arrived, rather than introduced during handling in the home, shifting the question from consumer hygiene to manufacturing control.
The Evidence Behind Raw Feeding Claims
Raw diets are popular because owners believe they are more natural and better for their animals, and that belief deserves an honest evidence check rather than dismissal.
The nutritional case for raw feeding rests largely on owner reports and small studies rather than on controlled trials demonstrating health advantages over cooked commercial diets. The contamination risk, by contrast, is well documented across the category and is not specific to any one brand. A United Kingdom Food Standards Agency survey of 380 raw dog and cat food products purchased between March 2023 and February 2024, with laboratory testing by the UK Health Security Agency, found that 35 percent contained harmful bacteria including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli, and that 29 percent failed to meet UK legal safety standards.
That is a category-level finding from a different regulator, which is worth noting because it means the current litigation addresses one company within a broader pattern.
Households that choose raw feeding can reduce risk substantially without abandoning it. The steps are the same ones used for raw meat intended for people: store and thaw the food separately from human food, wash hands with soap and hot water immediately after handling, clean and disinfect bowls, utensils, containers, and any surface the food touched, and keep the feeding area away from food preparation areas.
The Households That Should Reconsider Entirely
Risk is not evenly distributed, and some households face enough of it that hygiene alone is not a sufficient answer.
Homes with infants and young children, pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system carry the highest exposure risks. Young children are the clearest case, since they touch pets and floors constantly and then put their hands in their mouths, and because complications like hemolytic uremic syndrome fall disproportionately on them.
Anyone whose pet becomes ill after eating a raw product should contact their veterinarian first. Owners can report pet food problems to the FDA through its Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their state's FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. MedicalDaily has reported on how recalled products linger in homes long after a notice is published, a pattern that applies with particular force to frozen pet food.
Much remains unresolved. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction, and no court has ruled, so nothing in it has been proven. The company continues to dispute the findings. The FDA has not announced a new recall related to the filing, so consumers do not currently have specific lots to check. Readers should watch for court scheduling in the Western District of Washington and for any FDA advisory naming particular products.
Key Questions Answered
What did the government file? A civil complaint on August 7, 2026, seeking to permanently stop Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin's Natural Pet Products, and its owner from making and selling adulterated pet food.
What does the complaint allege? That the company failed to follow required preventive controls, allowing uncooked products to become adulterated, and that FDA investigators found Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in samples collected from 2017 through 2025.
Has any of this been proven? No. These are allegations in a civil complaint that the government would have to prove. The company disputes them.
Can pet food make people sick? Yes. The FDA notes that raw pet food is served uncooked, creating a hazard for people and pets. Exposure happens through handling food, bowls, packaging, and contaminated surfaces.
Is there a recall I should check? No new recall has been announced alongside the complaint, so there are no specific lots for consumers to check at this time.
Who in a household faces the greatest risk? Infants and young children, pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system.
How can raw feeding be made safer? Store and thaw separately from human food, wash hands with soap and hot water after handling, and clean and disinfect bowls, utensils and all contact surfaces.
