29% of raw pet foods on sale in the UK fail to comply with legislation

Raw dog and cat food continues to be a common client talking point — but new UK surveillance data suggest practice teams should treat it as an infection prevention and control issue as well as a nutrition preference. In an FSA-commissioned retail survey, more than a quarter of raw pet food samples exceeded statutory microbiological criteria, and a range of foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers were detected.

The survey

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey tested 380 raw pet food products purchased from UK retail outlets and online between March 2023 and February 2024.

• 277 raw dog food samples and 103 raw cat food samples
• 50 brands represented bought online or in-store
• Testing focused on key zoonotic pathogens and AMR indicators, including Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), indicator E. coli counts and ESBL/AmpC-producing E. coli.

AMR results were interpreted using epidemiological cut-off values, which indicate acquired resistance patterns but do not necessarily equate to clinical treatment failure.

The results

Statutory criteria were exceeded in 28.7% of samples

In 109 of 380 samples (28.7%), statutory microbiological criteria for animal by-product pet food were exceeded. This was driven by detection of Salmonella and/or bacterial counts above the legal threshold (5,000 CFU/g). 

Pathogens were frequently detected

Pathogenic bacteria were detected in 35% of samples overall. Reported detection rates included:

• Salmonella spp.: 20.8% (24 serovars identified; detected in at least one sample from 28 brands)
• Campylobacter spp.: 13.7% (C. jejuni and C. coli each present in 28 samples; 3.3% of samples had 10–130 CFU/g detected)
• STEC: 11.8% (stx DNA detected by PCR in 48.4% of samples; STEC isolates were recovered from a smaller subset)
• MRSA: 9.5% (five sequence types; livestock-associated ST398 most common)

The authors also report that some samples carried more than one pathogen.

AMR findings included ESBL/AmpC E. coli and resistant Salmonella/Campylobacter

• ESBL-/AmpC-producing E. coli were detected in 19.6% of samples.
• Indicator E. coli counts > 5,000 CFU/g were found in 16.1% of samples.
• Colistin-resistant E. coli (MIC 4 mg/L) carrying the mcr-1 gene were detected in 1.3% of samples.
• No carbapenem-resistant E. coli were detected.

Additional AMR detail reported in the study included:

• Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella isolates in 8.9% of samples, and one ESBL-producing Salmonella Infantis.
• MDR in 21.4% of C. jejuni isolates and 11.5% of C. coli isolates; no isolates were resistant to erythromycin or gentamicin.

Packaging and leakage

Around 8% of samples were reported to leak during thawing. Despite this, contamination detected on the outer packaging was low in this survey: Salmonella and Campylobacter were each detected on one of 189 outer-pack samples, and two outer-pack samples had > 5,000 CFU of E. coli. An AmpC-producing E. coli was detected on one of 88 outer-pack samples tested for ESBL/AmpC E. coli.

What this means for veterinary teams

This survey is a snapshot of retail products rather than a study of clinical disease, but it strengthens the rationale for consistent, practical safety messaging when raw feeding is discussed. In practice, that may include:

• Household risk conversations: ensuring owners understand who in the home may be more vulnerable to foodborne infection.
• Handling hygiene: reinforcing separation from human food prep, hand hygiene, and effective cleaning/disinfection of surfaces and utensils used with pet food.
• Practice protocols: reviewing how raw-fed inpatients’ food is stored, handled and disposed of, and how staff manage contamination risks from packaging, bowls and faeces.

Key takeaway

The survey found that raw pet foods sold in the UK commonly carried foodborne pathogens and, in a notable minority of cases, AMR bacteria — underlining why raw feeding should be approached as an infection prevention and control issue, with clear, non-alarmist hygiene messaging tailored to each household.

Source / full details: Food Standards Agency (FSA) Research and Evidence — Jorgensen et al., “A survey of microbiological and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contamination found in raw dog and cat food on retail sale in the UK”, 29 January 2026. https://doi.org/10.46756/001c.155340