CARNEY’S POINT, N.J. — On March 28, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement that Bravo Packing, Inc., an animal and pet food manufacturer, would halt its selling, manufacturing and distributing of raw pet food per the FDA’s demands. The administration’s actions against Bravo Packing marks its first consent decree of permanent injunction against a pet food manufacturer. Bravo Packing manufactures Performance Dog and other brands. Bravo Packing is not affiliated with Bravo Pet Foods, a separate manufacturer of frozen raw and freeze-dried pet food and treats.

Bravo Packing has agreed to comply with the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act and halt its manufacturing of raw pet food. According to the FDA, the company violated safety standards under Part 507 Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventative Controls for Animal Food Regulation. These regulations require that animal food plants take necessary precautions to prevent food contamination. Part 507 also requires that animal food manufacturing, packaging, processing and holding is done under safe conditions that minimize the potential of pathogen growth and spread, leading to contamination.

In 2019 and 2021, the FDA inspected Bravo Packing’s facility in Carney’s Point and issued the facility a warning letter in 2020. The FDA’s inspections of the facility revealed significant food safety violations, including unsanitary conditions and failure to comply with CGMP requirements for animal and pet food. Several finished raw pet food products collected during inspections tested positive for Salmonella, and some of the collected products also tested positive for Listeria.

The FDA’s consent decree, entered by the US District Judge Noel L. Hillman, prohibits Bravo Packing from receiving, processing, preparing, packaging, labeling, holding and distributing pet and animal food until the company complies with food safety regulations. As part of the decree, the FDA can also order shutdowns, recalls or perform other actions in the event of future safety violations by Bravo Packing, and also requires the company to pay for future inspections.

“The food we give our pets should be safe for them to eat and safe for people to handle,” said Steven Solomon, DVM, MPH, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “The FDA has taken this action to protect public health because, despite multiple inspections, notifications of violations, and recalls, this firm continued to operate under insanitary conditions and produce pet food contaminated with harmful bacteria. We will not tolerate firms that put people or animals at risk and will take enforcement actions when needed.”

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