Pet owners across South Africa are being urged to check their cupboards after the National Consumer Commission (NCC) announced an urgent nationwide recall of several popular dry dog and cat food brands.

The recall follows the discovery of dangerously elevated levels of a grain-based toxin in specific batches produced earlier this year, prompting officials to warn consumers to stop feeding the affected products to their pets at once.

The affected batches include various sizes of Bobtail, Catmor, Canine Cuisine, Optimizor, Ultra Pet and Superwoof – please see attached images.

The company said in a statement that during the verification of testing results, they identified elevated levels of Deoxynivalenol (DON) in certain batches of maize used to produce dry pet food manufactured on 26 – 29 May and 4 – 5 and 17 June 2025.

They explained that deoxynivalenol (DON) is a naturally occurring mycotoxin produced by specific moulds that can grow on grains such as maize, which are tested as part of our quality management systems.

The presence of DON in these products originated from raw materials (maize) used during production. DON is considered safe at levels below 1 000 ppb. At elevated levels it typically presents as refusal to eat, and if ingested may cause digestive upset.

“Comprehensive testing was conducted across all affected dry pet food products containing maize. Results confirmed that elevated DON levels were limited to products manufactured on 26 – 29 May and 4 – 5 and 17 June 2025. Our testing frequency, which is in line with regulatory requirements, has been increased,” RCL Foods said.

Here are the affected batches:

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