If you follow raw feeding forums at all, you’ve probably noticed the mood shift in recent months. What used to be spirited debates about prey-model ratios and sourcing has turned into something more anxious. Three significant recalls have landed in the raw and minimally processed pet food space within months of each other in 2026, and the community is asking hard questions about whether the safety infrastructure around these products is actually good enough.

I’ll be honest: I went into this thinking it was going to be a straightforward “here are the products, here’s what to do” writeup. What I found was messier and more concerning than that.

Three Recalls, Three Different Problems

RecallCompanyProductPathogen/IssueLot Date RangeStates AffectedDate Posted
Raaw EnergyRaaw Energy60+ frozen dog food varietiesListeria monocytogenesJuly 17, 2025 - March 31, 2026CT, DE, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, VAMay 22, 2026
Go RawGo Raw LLCQuest Cat Food (freeze-dried & frozen)Critically low thiamineMultiple lotsNationalFeb 17, 2026 (recall); Mar 13, 2026 (FDA advisory)
Albright’s RawAlbright’s Raw Pet FoodChicken Recipe for DogsPotential SalmonellaOne lotNationalMay 7, 2026

The recalls themselves are worth understanding individually, because they’re not all the same kind of risk.

The biggest one, by volume, is the Raaw Energy situation. On May 22, 2026, the company expanded its recall to cover more than 60 frozen dog food varieties produced between July 17, 2025 and March 31, 2026, citing Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The company halted all production effective May 21, 2026. Distribution was limited to nine states: CT, DE, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, and VA, so if you’re outside that region you’re probably not affected. But if you are in those states and you’ve had Raaw Energy in your freezer for the past year, you need to check the FDA’s recall listing right now and cross-reference your lot numbers.

Then there’s the Go Raw situation, which is the one that kept me up a little reading about it. Starting February 17, 2026, Go Raw LLC recalled multiple lots of Quest Cat Food, both freeze-dried and frozen varieties, because thiamine levels were critically low. We’re talking far below AAFCO’s established minimum of 5.6 mg/kg. The company enacted a stop-sale across all retailers. Then on March 13, 2026, the FDA issued an advisory confirming that 8 lots of Quest Cat Food contained extremely low or absent thiamine, and here’s the part that surprised me: only 3 of those 8 lots had been formally recalled at the time the advisory went out. That gap between what the FDA knew and what had official recall status is the kind of thing that should concern anyone paying attention.

And then Albright’s Raw Pet Food out of Fort Wayne, Indiana voluntarily recalled one lot of its Chicken Recipe for Dogs over potential Salmonella contamination. The FDA posted that notice on May 7, 2026. Smaller in scope, but Salmonella in raw meat-based products is exactly the risk critics have always pointed to.

The Thiamine Problem Is Its Own Category

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I want to spend more time on the Go Raw recall because it’s categorically different from a bacterial contamination issue, and I think it’s getting less attention than it deserves.

Thiamine, or Vitamin B1, is essential for neurological function in cats. Cats can’t synthesize it and have relatively high requirements for it compared to dogs. When thiamine is severely deficient, the progression isn’t subtle. It starts with vomiting and appetite loss, but it can move to neurological signs, seizures, and death. The FDA does note that thiamine deficiency is typically reversible if caught and treated promptly, which is genuinely reassuring. But “promptly” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. A cat who’s been off a thiamine-deficient food for two weeks and is showing vague GI signs might not immediately trigger alarm bells for an owner.

What makes this particular failure so troubling is that it’s not contamination from the outside. The thiamine wasn’t there to begin with, or was destroyed during processing. That’s a quality control failure at the formulation or manufacturing stage, not a pathogen that sneaked in. Freeze-dried and raw foods often market themselves on nutrient density and minimal processing, and most of that reputation is earned. But “minimal processing” doesn’t automatically mean “correctly formulated.” Those are different things, and this recall is a clear illustration of why.

If you have a cat who’s been eating Quest Cat Food in the past several months and is showing any decreased appetite, wobbliness, head tilt, or unusual lethargy, please don’t wait on this. Call your vet and mention the thiamine recall specifically. It helps them know what to look for.

What Raw Feeders Need to Actually Hear

The raw feeding community’s frustration is legitimate. These recalls get weaponized by people who want to paint the entire category as dangerous, and that’s not a fair or accurate read. Plenty of conventional kibble recalls happen every year too, for Salmonella, elevated vitamin D, mold-produced toxins. No segment of the pet food industry has a spotless record.

But I’ll be honest about something else: the safety infrastructure around raw and minimally processed foods is genuinely thinner than it is for commercial kibble. The companies tend to be smaller. Testing protocols vary more widely. The FDA’s regulatory oversight of raw pet food has historically been less consistent than its approach to more conventional products. That’s not a reason to abandon raw feeding. It is a reason to be a more active, skeptical consumer within that space.

Practically speaking, this means checking the FDA recall page and the AVMA’s recall alerts tracker regularly, not just when something blows up on social media. The AVMA maintains a searchable recalls and safety alerts database that’s genuinely useful and easy to use. It also means understanding that voluntary recalls, which all three of these are, depend entirely on the company choosing to act. The Raaw Energy expanded recall on May 22 covered products going back nearly a year. That’s a long window.

How to Talk to Your Vet About This

One thing I’ve noticed over years in clinical practice is that people who feed raw sometimes hesitate to bring it up with their vet because they expect a lecture. Some vets do give those lectures, and I get why that’s exhausting. But right now, with these specific recalls active, you need to have that conversation regardless.

Tell your vet exactly what brand and product your pet has been eating, the lot numbers if you have them, and how long they’ve been on that food. If your dog has been eating recalled Raaw Energy product and is showing any GI symptoms, fever, or unusual lethargy, that warrants a call today, not a wait-and-see approach. Listeria can cause serious illness in dogs and can also be a zoonotic risk to humans in the household. If your cat has been on Quest Cat Food and is showing neurological signs at all, including just being “off” or wobbly, that’s an urgent call.

The FDA’s advisory pages for these recalls include detailed lot number information and contact numbers for the companies. Screenshot them. Keep them with your pet’s records.

The raw feeding community built itself on doing the research and caring deeply about what goes into their animals. Right now, caring deeply means taking these three recalls seriously and staying close to the recall tracking tools that exist. The information is out there. Use it.

Sources

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute veterinary advice. Pet health symptoms can have many causes and require professional evaluation. Always consult a licensed veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment specific to your pet.

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