What was recalled
The recall covered exactly one product, one size, one lot: Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables, 12.5-oz cans, UPC 8-40243-10017-0, Best By date 08/03/2019. The product was distributed nationally through pet specialty retailers. Production-run-level traceability allowed Blue Buffalo to limit the recall scope tightly — a hallmark of well-functioning lot-tracing systems. Recall details are summarized at the National Animal Supplement Council bulletin.
Why it was recalled
One of Blue Buffalo’s ingredient suppliers notified Blue Buffalo that a single production run at the supplier’s facility might have introduced aluminum metal fragments into the supplied input. Blue Buffalo could not rule out that the affected production run had been used in the Homestyle Recipe lot in question, so the company initiated a precautionary voluntary recall the same day. The recall was preventive — no consumer or veterinary reports of illness or injury were received before, during, or after the recall window. This is the recall pattern preferred by food-safety regulators: act on supplier-side intelligence rather than waiting for downstream consumer harm reports.
Health risks for your pet
Aluminum metal fragments in canned pet food carry a physical-injury risk rather than a chemical-toxicity risk. Sharp metal edges can cause oral lacerations, gastrointestinal abrasions, or in rare cases obstruction. Aluminum itself is generally not chemically toxic at the trace levels involved in incidental fragment contamination. No documented illnesses occurred in this specific recall. If a pet ingested affected product (years ago) and showed unexplained vomiting, oral discomfort, or GI symptoms at the time, the timeline is now historical — current health concerns are unrelated to this recall.
What to do if you bought affected product
Best By date 08/03/2019 has long since passed; any cans still in storage should be discarded for general staleness reasons regardless of the recall. At the time of the recall, Blue Buffalo offered full refunds via consumer affairs (1-877-525-8273); the refund window has closed. For general canned-food handling: inspect cans for damage (dents along the seam, swelling, deep dents on the rim) before opening, and discard any cans that look compromised — this is generic best practice unrelated to the 2017 recall, but a useful habit.
In our database
Our reviews of Blue Buffalo foods: Blue Buffalo (dogs), Blue Buffalo Puppy (dogs), Blue Buffalo Basics (dogs), Blue Buffalo Senior (dogs), Blue Buffalo Wilderness (dogs), Blue Buffalo Large Breed (dogs), Blue Buffalo (cats), Blue Buffalo Indoor (cats).
Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support.