The 2020–21 Midwestern Pet Foods Aflatoxin Recall — 70+ Dog Deaths and the Modern Reference Case
Midwestern Pet Foods recalled Sportmix dry pet food on 30 December 2020 for potentially fatal aflatoxin levels. By 9 August 2021 the FDA was aware of more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 illnesses that may be linked to Midwestern products, and it issued a corporate-wide warning letter that month. Champion Petfoods, maker of Acana and Orijen, faced heavy-metals lawsuits and an FDA grain-free DCM inquiry in the same years without a recall.
Reviewed October 2026. Part of Everything-PR's pet industry coverage, at everything-pr.com/pets.
What happened at Midwestern Pet Foods?
Midwestern Pet Foods recalled nine lots of Sportmix on 30 December 2020, and the recall grew as the death count rose. At the first notice the FDA was aware of at least 28 dog deaths and 8 illnesses. On 11 January 2021 Midwestern expanded the recall to all pet foods containing corn that were made at its Oklahoma plant with an expiration date on or before 9 July 2022, more than 1,000 lots in total.
The FDA's counts kept climbing. By 11 January it was aware of more than 70 deaths and more than 80 sick pets, by 21 January of 110 deaths and 210 illnesses, and by 9 August 2021 of more than 130 deaths and more than 220 illnesses. The FDA stated that not all cases had been confirmed as aflatoxin poisoning through laboratory testing or veterinary record review.
Testing by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Office of the Texas State Chemist and the FDA found aflatoxin as high as 558 parts per billion. The FDA treats pet food as adulterated above 20 parts per billion. Petfood Industry reported that dogs began dying shortly before Christmas 2020 at a southern Missouri breeding kennel, where a veterinarian sent food samples to a university toxicologist.
Was there a second Midwestern recall?
Yes. In March 2021 Midwestern recalled other brands made at its Illinois plant after samples tested positive for Salmonella, according to the National Law Review. Daily Paws counted three Midwestern recalls in that period: two for aflatoxin and one for Salmonella.
What did the FDA warning letter say?
The FDA's corporate-wide warning letter said violations were shared across multiple Midwestern plants and were associated with the illness or death of hundreds of pets. The letter was dated 9 August 2021 and announced on 17 August 2021, according to the National Law Review and Petfood Industry.
FDA inspected four plants, in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Monmouth, Illinois, Evansville, Indiana and Waverly, New York, between 1 February and 16 April 2021. It cited serious violations of its Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls requirements and said Midwestern had not documented how it would prevent future aflatoxin and Salmonella problems, per Daily Paws and Petfood Processing.
What happened at Champion Petfoods?
Champion Petfoods faced two separate pressures, heavy-metals lawsuits and an FDA inquiry into grain-free diets, and neither involved a recall that EPR could find. These are the documented facts.
In 2018, class actions alleged that Acana and Orijen contained arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium and BPA while being marketed with fresh, natural and "biologically appropriate" claims. In the New York case the plaintiff did not allege the foods were unsafe or harmed her pets, only that she would not have paid the price had she known. Champion called the claims meritless, and Lexology reported in June 2023 that the Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Champion.
In June 2019 the FDA named 16 dog food brands most frequently reported in cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and Acana was among the most-cited. Champion disputed the FDA's data and argued that a causal link between grain-free formulations and DCM had not been established. Mars Petcare now owns Champion Petfoods, though sources EPR reviewed disagree on the year the acquisition closed.
What do the two cases teach pet food brands?
The cases show two different exposures. These are EPR's analysis, not findings by a regulator.
Midwestern shows that a value-tier brand carries the same regulatory and legal exposure as a premium one when preventive controls fail, because the FDA's letter turned on documented controls for mycotoxins and Salmonella across every plant. Champion shows that a brand built on ingredient and sourcing claims can be litigated over those claims even when a court sides with the company, and that an open regulatory inquiry keeps a brand in the news without any recall.
Sources
FDA, Sportmix recall alerts and updates of 30 December 2020 and 11 January 2021, as summarized by the American Kennel Club, Petfood Processing and the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Petfood Industry, "FDA warns Midwestern Pet Foods over aflatoxin, Salmonella," 19 August 2021. National Law Review, "FDA issues company-wide warning letter re pet food." Petfood Processing, company-wide warning letter report. Daily Paws, "FDA links hundreds of pet deaths, illnesses to Midwestern Pet Foods." Petfood Industry on the Champion heavy-metals lawsuit. Lexology, "Summary judgment for Champion Petfoods affirmed," 12 June 2023.
Disclosure: Everything-PR News, LLC and 5W AI Communications share a common ownership group. Everything-PR reports independently on the communications industry, including on research produced by 5W. Editorial decisions are made by Everything-PR's editorial team.
It began on 30 December 2020 and expanded on 11 January 2021. A separate Salmonella recall of other brands followed in March 2021.
What caused the Midwestern aflatoxin recall?
Aflatoxin, a toxin produced by mold on grains such as corn, was found at levels as high as 558 parts per billion in Sportmix samples.
How many pets died in the Midwestern recall?
As of 9 August 2021 the FDA was aware of more than 130 pet deaths and more than 220 illnesses that may be linked to Midwestern products. The FDA said not all cases were confirmed by laboratory testing or veterinary record review.
Was Champion Petfoods ever recalled over heavy metals or DCM?
EPR found no recall tied to the heavy-metals lawsuits or the FDA's DCM inquiry.
Did Champion win the heavy-metals lawsuit?
Lexology reported in June 2023 that the Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Champion in one heavy-metals class action.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
