06/04/2026
“Complete-and-balanced pet nutrition can be complicated and sometimes mistakes happen, but ensuring a diet contains the optimal (or at least safe) balance of nutrients is the first and foremost responsibility of any brand making, marketing, or selling pet food. Being able to do so repeatably and at scale is the name of the game. At some point in the value chain, pet food manufacturers are failing to adequately test the vitamin and mineral blends they use in their formulations.” – BSM Partners
A recent article from BSM Partners highlights a troubling trend: vitamin D has become one of the most frequently recalled nutrients in pet food, with at least six major vitamin D-related recalls occurring over the last eight years. The issue often isn't the meat, vegetables, or main ingredients in the food, but tiny vitamin and mineral premixes that typically make up less than 0.5% of a recipe. Because testing finished products for nutrients like vitamin D can be expensive, some manufacturers rely heavily on supplier certificates of analysis, periodic verification, or ingredient testing rather than testing every finished batch. When an error slips through, the consequences can be enormous. Major recalls involving companies such as Hill's Pet Nutrition, Sunshine Mills, Purina, and others have affected millions of pet meals, caused serious illness, and been linked to reported pet deaths. The article argues that better testing, tighter quality control, and greater oversight of premixes are critical because a mistake in a microscopic portion of a recipe can ultimately impact the health of countless pets. These companies make billions of dollars on their products; do you think testing for nutrient accuracy should be automatic?
