What was recalled
The August 2010 recall covered Iams ProActive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care dry cat food, 6.8-pound bag size, lot code 02304173 (B1 through B6). Procter & Gamble subsequently expanded the recall to include additional bag lots from the same production run as a precautionary measure after internal testing flagged potential cross-contamination risk. The product was distributed nationally through pet specialty retailers and grocery channels. The recall was independent of (and predated) the larger 2012 Diamond multi-brand event — Diamond was Iams’s co-manufacturer for some lines, but the 2010 Iams recall was traced to a different production run and supplier.
Why it was recalled
Routine internal product testing detected potential Salmonella contamination on a single 6.8-lb bag of the Indoor Weight & Hairball Care formula. Procter & Gamble’s standard recall protocol triggered the precautionary expansion to all bags from the same production run. The contamination source was traced to a single ingredient supplier; subsequent corrective action included revised supplier-receiving testing protocols and on-site supplier audits. Unlike the 2012 Diamond event, the 2010 Iams recall did not progress to a CDC investigation — the contamination was caught upstream before consumer illness occurred. This is the favorable recall pattern: internal testing catches contamination before it reaches the home.
Health risks for your pet
Salmonella infection in cats can present as vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, lethargy, and decreased appetite, though many infected cats are asymptomatic carriers who shed Salmonella in their stool without showing illness. The zoonotic transmission risk — passing Salmonella to humans, especially small children — is the more serious concern in dry-kibble Salmonella events. No infections were reported in association with this 2010 Iams recall, owed to the precautionary, upstream nature of the trigger. Iams ProActive Health remains in the KibbleIQ analysis database for cats — see our current Iams cat food review.
What to do if you bought affected product
Affected lot codes from August 2010 are 15+ years past expiration. Any remaining bag should have been discarded long ago. At the time of the recall, Procter & Gamble offered full refunds via consumer affairs (1-877-340-8826); the refund window has long since closed. The general kibble-handling hygiene rules — wash hands after each feeding, store kibble in a sealed container, never use food bowls for human-food prep, and keep pet feeding stations away from infant care areas — are best practice for any dry pet food regardless of brand or recall history.
How this affects KibbleIQ’s grade
Iams today scores in the C–B range across its dog and cat lines depending on formula — see our current Iams cat food review and Iams dog food review. Per our methodology, the rubric scores brands based on the current ingredient list, not historical recall events. The 2010 recall’s favorable profile — precautionary, single-lot, internal-testing-detected, zero illness — is evidence of a working quality system rather than a quality failure. Iams’s subsequent recall history (2011 aflatoxin, 2012 Salmonella) is more comprehensive than the 2010 incident alone suggests, but the 2014 Mars Petcare acquisition reset Iams’s manufacturing standards and the brand has had no major recalls in the 11+ years since. When methodology v2 ships recall-history scoring, the post-2014 clean record will weight more heavily than pre-acquisition events under the current ownership’s management.