Last updated: June 20, 2026
FDA animal and veterinary recall data through June of this year shows a continuing trend of pathogen-related recalls in the raw & minimally processed dog and cat pet food and treat market.
FDA data shows three pathogen-related recalls for this category in 2026:
- (2) Salmonella,
- (1) Listeria, and
- (0) E. coli
Is 2026 On Track To Be Another Bad Year For Pet Food & Treat Recalls?
Three total pathogen-related recalls for 2026 (so far) puts us only one recall behind 2025 (at the same point in the year), which is notable since 2025 was the highest year on record for pathogen-related dog and cat food and treat recalls.
If 2026 follows the same back-half pattern, the final count could land much closer to the 2025 range.
| Year | Recalls* through June 8 | Full Year Count |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 8 |
| 2025 | 4 | 12 |
| 2026 through June 2026 | 3 | TBD |
*This analysis focuses only on recalls tied to named foodborne pathogens, specifically for raw/minimally processed canine and feline pet food and treat products. The count includes Salmonella, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli. It excludes vitamin deficiencies, foreign material, aflatoxin, packaging issues, bird flu, animal drugs, and other recall causes outside the pathogen-control scope.
What The 2026 Recalls Have In Common: Minimally Processed Products
We’ve previously noted the correlation between growth in raw and minimally processed pet food, and the rise in pathogen-related pet food and treat recalls in our white paper, “Mitigating the 20x FDA Recall Risk of Fresh Pet Food”.
In our analysis, we found that while raw pet foods represented less than 10% of the market, they account for roughly 67% of pathogen-related recalls.
So, we weren’t surprised to see that two of the three pathogen-related recalls so far this year involved raw frozen dog food, and the third involved a dehydrated chicken treat.
Looking Closely at the Three Minimally Processed Pet Food & Treat Recalls in 2026
| Recall | Product Format | Pathogen | E-Beam Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dehydrated, high-protein pet treat | Salmonella | Likely fit. Small-format treats are usually a practical E-Beam use case because the product is relatively thin, individually portioned, and already packaged in a retail bag. |
| 2 | Raw frozen pet food format | Salmonella | Strong fit. Finished raw products in defined package formats are great for E-Beam. The product can be evaluated for post-packaging treatment, and the brick format gives the dose-mapping work a clear, repeatable geometry. |
| 3 | Frozen tube-packed dog food | Listeria monocytogenes | Likely fit. Frozen tube-packed product is relevant for E-Beam because it is a finished, packaged, minimally processed format. |
Consumers have made it clear that they want raw and minimally processed products. Fresh, frozen, and refrigerated pet food accounted for about 7% of total dog and cat food sales in 2025 and is projected to grow 15% to 20% annually, according to Packaged Facts data reported by Pet Food Processing.
However, these premium products that are built around qualities like raw positioning, meat-forward texture, palatability, and minimal processing make conventional heat an impossible fit because it damages the very attributes that make the products premium.
Raw Pet Food Needs a Validated Kill Step
Many raw and minimally processed pet food manufacturers have looked to HPP because it offers pathogen reduction without conventional heat, but the problem is where that control step often sits in the process (see our full E-Beam vs. HPP comparison guide).
For many products, HPP is not a final-packaged-product solution. It may happen before forming, freeze drying, final packaging, or later handling steps that can reintroduce contamination. That creates a gap between the kill step and distribution. Every transfer, tray, surface, package, hold period, and shipping step after treatment becomes another opportunity for microbial risk to return.
A pathogen-reduction step is only as strong as the process around it. If the product is treated early and then handled, formed, frozen, dried, packed, stored, or shipped again before release, the kill step is no longer the last meaningful microbial control point.
HPP vs. E-Beam Timeline Comparision
In contrast, E-Beam can be evaluated as a late-stage, non-thermal kill step for finished product formats. In many cases, the product can be treated after it has been formed, packed, sealed, and prepared for shipment. That changes the risk profile because pathogen reduction happens closer to distribution, not upstream before the product goes through additional handling.
E-Beam is also built around validation. The process is defined by the product, package, target organism, required dose range, dose distribution, and quality window. For products where heat would damage raw positioning, meat-forward texture, palatability, or minimally processed appeal, E-Beam gives manufacturers a way to reduce pathogen risk without pushing the product into a conventional cooked format.
Sampling still has a role, but sampling is not control. It can tell you what was found in the units tested. It cannot prove every unit in the lot is free from Salmonella, Listeria, E. Coli, etc. especially when contamination is unevenly distributed. A validated kill step, which E-Beam provides, gives manufacturers a process-based way to reduce pathogen risk before product reaches the market.
What’s Next for Pet Food & Treat Manufacturers
The 2026 recall data (so far) demonstrates that while raw and minimally processed pet food formats continue to grow, safety programs still rely on controls that happen too early in the process, or on sampling that can only detect contamination after it exists.
For finished, packaged, animal-protein products, E-Beam offers a later control point. It gives manufacturers a way to validate pathogen reduction closer to distribution, without relying on heat, pressure, or sampling alone. Brands that solve this now will be in a better position to scale premium products without carrying the same level of recall exposure into every new SKU.
Book a call with NextBeam. We can usually tell you within 30 minutes whether your product is a good fit for E-Beam.
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