FRANKLIN, TN—Small pieces of melted plastic were found in the production line of some varieties of Nutro dry dog and cat food products, according to the company.

According to a statement posted on the company's website, Nutro immediately retrieved the affected pet food from its distributors, and only three of the affected products reached a small number of PetSmart and Petco stores. The specific products are listed below. No affected cat food products made it to retail stores, said Monica Barrett, pet specialty communications manager at Nutro Products.

Barrett said that small pieces of melted plastic were found in the production line on Sept. 17^th. "We immediately halted production and conducted a thorough search of the manufacturing equipment and identified the source," she explained. "That same day, we pinpointed potential affected finished product, notified our distribution centers, and asked them to either ship back or destroy affected product."  

The source of the melted plastic has been traced to a production worker's "bump cap," which is similar to a hard hat. The cap inadvertently made its way into the manufacturing process.

"The accidental introduction of the bump cap into the manufacturing equipment happened days before, and the worker reported the accident immediately," Barrett said. "At that time, the machinery was fully disassembled and audited, and the bump cap was not found. The affected line only produced product for 2 days from the time of the accident to the discovery of the melted pieces of plastic. " 

Nutro said it is unlikely that any pieces of plastic made it into finished product.
Consumers who believe they have purchased potentially affected product should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another Nutro product or contact the Nutro Products at 800-833-5330.