What was recalled
On March 2, 2018, Steve’s Real Food of Salt Lake City, Utah voluntarily recalled a single lot of its 5lb Raw Frozen Dog Food Turkey Canine Recipe. The recalled product carries UPC 691730153038, Lot number E178, and Best By date 09/27/2018. The 5lb package contains frozen turkey nuggets.
The affected lot consisted of 52 cases distributed between June 27 and July 15, 2017 to retail pet food stores in 21 states: CA, CO, CT, IA, KS, FL, MD, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, and WA. The FDA published the formal recall notice at its 2018 recall archive. No animal or human illnesses were reported.
Why it was recalled
The recall was initiated after the Nebraska Department of Agriculture notified Steve’s Real Food that a retail sample of the Turkey Canine Recipe collected during routine surveillance tested positive for Salmonella. The single-lot scope reflects how raw pet food contamination typically distributes: a single batch of incoming raw poultry can carry Salmonella from the USDA-inspected upstream source, and the absence of a high-temperature kill step in raw production means the contamination passes through to finished frozen product. Steve’s Real Food’s rapid voluntary recall (within days of FDA/Nebraska notification) reflects the quality-systems response FDA explicitly endorses for ingredient-source contamination events. Steve’s subsequently had a second 2018 recall (Turducken Recipe, Quest Emu, Quest Beef) for Salmonella + Listeria, suggesting recurring raw-processing pathogen challenges typical of the format. Steve’s Real Food adopted high-pressure processing (HPP) on its turkey line following the 2018 events.
Health risks for your pet
No animal or human illnesses were reported in connection with the recalled Steve’s Real Food Turkey Canine Recipe Lot E178. Had affected product reached pets, the clinical pattern would have followed standard Salmonella enteritis: diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever, anorexia, typically self-limited in healthy adult dogs. The human handling-hygiene risk is the dominant concern with raw pet food — CDC and FDA emphasize that humans handling raw pet food are at elevated Salmonella exposure risk, especially in households with infants, young children, immunocompromised members, or pregnant women. Steve’s Real Food turkey nuggets are typically thawed in the refrigerator before feeding, adding handling time during which cross-contamination to surfaces or hands can occur.
What to do if you bought affected product
All recalled Lot E178 product has long-expired Best By date 09/27/2018; no household freezer should still contain it. If you feed Steve’s Real Food or any other raw frozen product today, follow standard raw-feeding handling hygiene: separate prep surfaces, wash hands and surfaces immediately, refrigerate or freeze upon purchase, dispose of uneaten raw food after meal time, and avoid raw feeding entirely if your household includes pregnant women, infants, young children, or immunocompromised members. Steve’s Real Food adopted HPP processing on its turkey line post-2018, which reduces (but does not eliminate) Salmonella exposure surface.
How this affects KibbleIQ’s grade
Steve’s Real Food is not currently in the KibbleIQ scored database — our methodology v15 covers commercial dry kibble, fresh cooked, and selected raw-coated kibble per our published methodology; standalone raw frozen is a distinct format that the rubric does not yet specifically score. The 2018 event reflects a single-lot ingredient-source Salmonella detection caught by state Department of Agriculture surveillance — the FDA-state safety net functioning as designed. Steve’s Real Food’s rapid recall response and subsequent HPP adoption are quality-systems credits. Owners committed to raw feeding should look for brands with documented HPP or other pathogen-inactivation steps, explicit incoming-ingredient testing protocols, and clear handling-hygiene guidance on packaging.