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The FDA's list of food recalls for April sound less like contaminated food items and more like a menu from Hotel Transylvania: pentobarbital-laced dog chow, ground-up golf balls in the frozen hash browns and bat body parts in the organic spring mix. And wait -- don’t forget the belladonna alkaloids in the baby teething tablets! Here are some of this month’s most memorable food recalls:
Dog Food: Cocolicious
Made by the pet food company Party Animal Pet Food, two lots of Cocolicious beef and turkey dog food are being recalled for contamination with pentobarbital, a barbiturate used to anesthetize or euthanize animals. The recall notice doesn’t say how pentobarbital may have gotten into the feed, but according to the Food and Drug Administration, it’s usually because the carcass of a euthanized cow or horse has gotten into the meatPet insurance may help with the bite to your wallet if your dog gets sick from contaminated chow, although no illnesses have yet been reported.
According to Party Animal, the recall began after a retailer in Texas notified the company that one of its customer had sent samples of two dog food cans to a testing lab, and the results tested positive for pentobarbital. The company’s further testing has been negative.
 
“The safety of pets is and always will be our first priority,” Party Animal wrote in the recall notice. “We sincerely regret the reports of the discomfort experienced by the pet who consumed this food. As pet parents ourselves, we take this matter seriously.”
Look for:  13-ounce-cans of Cocolicious Beef & Turkey dog food (Lot #0136E15204 04, best by July 2019) and 13-ounce-cans of  Cocolicious Chicken & Beef dog food (Lot #0134E15 237 13, best by August 2019). The company offers a full refund. For more details, see the recall notice posted on the FDA site.
Southern-Style Hash Browns: McCain Foods USA
McCain’s recall notice apologetically noted that its frozen hash brown products, sold under the Roundy’s and Harris Teeter retail brands, “may be contaminated with extraneous golf ball materials.” The company also explains that despite its strict safety standards, the golf ball materials “may have been inadvertently harvested with potatoes,” leading one to wonder whether the potato farm is adjacent to a golf course. Besides changing the consistency of the hash browns, the rubber golf ball pieces pose a choking hazard. The company urges anyone who bought the product not to consume it – a suggestion which, under the circumstances, should prove immensely popular. The recall notice encourages consumers to throw the product away or return it; it does not, however, offer a refund.
What to look for: Roundy’s Brand, 2 lb. Bag of Frozen Southern Style Hash Browns (UPC 001115055019) and Harris Teeter Brand, 2 lb. Bag of Frozen Southern Style Hash Browns (UPC 007203649020).  The recall was also later extended to Wegman’s Brand 28-ounce bag of frozen O’Brien Hash Browns (UPC 07789036523). According to the company, the recalled products were distributed after January 19, 2017 and the production code is B170119; no other brands were affected.  For more information, see the recall notice on the FDA site.
Marketside Organic Spring Mix:  Fresh Express
Here is the reason for recall notice in the FDA listing for Marketside Organic Spring Mix, and however cautiously worded it is, it does not inspire confidence: “Potential to contain bat body parts (minimal risk of potential rabies contamination)” (!) The recalled salads were distributed only to Walmart stories located in the Southeastern region of the United States.  According to Fresh Express, the company follow strict safety controls during growing and production. The bat body parts were found in only one (hopefully untouched) salad container.
 
What to look for: A 5 oz. Organic Marketside Spring Mix in a clear container with production code G089B19 and best-if-used-by date of APR 14, 2017 located on the front label, and UPC code 6 8113132897 5 located on the bottom of the container. No other Marketside salads are included in the recall, nor are Fresh Express brand salads. For a full refund and more details, see the recall notice on the FDA site.
Hyland’s Baby Teeth Tablets and Hyland’s Baby Nighttime Teething Tablets: Standard Homeopathic Company
According to the recall notice, the company stopped producing these products last fall, and now every last container is being recalled. The reason the homeopathy company gives is clear: “FDA believes that belladonna represents a serious health hazard to children and that the effects of belladonna are unpredictable. The Agency has stated to the Company, ‘There is no known safe dose or toxic dose of belladonna in children because of the many factors that affect it.’” Standard Homeopathic Company urges any consumers using this product to discard it. Other Standard Homeopathic Company/Hyland’s products are unaffected by this recall.
 
To find out about all the FDA food and product recalls in April, see the FDA’s page on recalls, product withdrawals and safety alerts.