Federal Government Sues Washington Pet Food Company Over Contaminated Products That Sickened Child
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint seeking to permanently shut down a Washington state pet food manufacturer accused of repeatedly distributing products contaminated with dangerous bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli.
The complaint, filed Aug. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that Gary T. Tashjian, through his business Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by failing to follow preventive controls requirements and causing uncooked pet food to become adulterated.
According to the complaint, FDA investigators found pathogenic bacteria in the company’s finished pet food products in samples collected from 2017 through 2025. In 2024, investigators also found Salmonella in the company’s Tukwila facility.
The government alleges that Arrow Reliance’s products have repeatedly infected consumers over several years. After multiple customers complained of humans or pets suffering from health problems, FDA investigators detected pathogenic bacteria in unopened samples of the company’s product.
In 2024, a four-year-old child fell ill with a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection and developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome after the family dog was fed Arrow Reliance’s products. Third-party laboratory testing of the family’s unopened pet food confirmed the presence of both Salmonella and STEC bacteria.
“Pet food manufacturers must ensure the safety of their products,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Given the high likelihood that consumers will come into direct contact with pet food products, the Department of Justice will continue to work closely with FDA and take action against food manufacturers that operate under insanitary conditions.”
Infections from Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, or STEC can cause symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting in healthy adults. For vulnerable consumers — including pregnant women, the elderly, and the immune-compromised — these bacteria can cause more serious effects, including death. Listeria monocytogenes can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages.
“Every American pet owner deserves confidence that the food they feed their animals is safe and will not pose health risks to their families,” said Timothy Schell, Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Despite repeated FDA warnings, this company continues to manufacture and distribute products contaminated with harmful bacteria. When a company does not take responsibility for product safety, FDA will intervene to protect public health.”
According to the complaint, Arrow Reliance’s pet food products are sold throughout the country. The government’s lawsuit seeks an injunction that would require Tashjian and Arrow Reliance to make sanitation improvements and comply with preventive controls regulations and other federal food safety requirements before making or distributing any more pet food.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence.
Meat Processing Plant Dumped Blood, Waste Into Caribbean Sea, Federal Indictment Alleges
NAGUABO, Puerto Rico – A federal indictment unsealed today charges a Puerto Rico meat processing plant and four employees with conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act by discharging untreated wastewater containing animal blood, tissue, and feces into a creek that flows to the Caribbean Sea.
César P. Borges-Arroyo, Neftalí Borges-Gómez, Erison Delgado-Santos, Héctor Fulgencio-Cabrera, and Ganaderos Borges Inc. (GBI) face four violations of the Clean Water Act as well as conspiracy charges related to the discharge of pollutants from GBI’s slaughterhouse and meat processing plant in Naguabo.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to knowingly discharge wastewater from the meat processing waste retention lagoon into waters of the United States without having obtained a Clean Water Act permit. GBI held a non-discharge wastewater treatment permit that required liquid waste to be hauled from the facility to a disposal facility. The permit expired on July 31, 2019, and the company continued to violate the Clean Water Act until at least September 2025.
“We allege that this meat processing plant and at least four of its employees conspired to pump animal flesh, blood, and feces into a creek that flows to the ocean and a public beach,” said Principal Deputy Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division. “The conduct alleged here sacrifices public health for economic gain, and it is a crime.”
Starting in August 2018 and continuing through at least September 2025, GBI president Borges-Arroyo and GBI operator Borges-Gómez directed employees, including Delgado-Santos and Fulgencio-Cabrera, to discharge liquid waste from the retention lagoon toward an adjacent creek. They used a submersible pump placed in the lagoon and connected to a hose, allegedly attempting to avoid millions of dollars in annual waste removal costs.
The waste included animal blood, hair, tissue, and feces, as well as grease, wastewater, disinfectant, and other liquids used inside the slaughterhouse and processing areas. The mixed waste flowed from the facility to a discharge pipe that emptied into the waste retention lagoon, located on the southwest corner of the property. The western edge of the lagoon is adjacent to a creek that travels approximately half a mile to the Caribbean Sea at Tropical Beach in Naguabo.
“GBI repeatedly and intentionally violated the Clean Water Act by discharging untreated wastes into the Caribbean Sea at Tropical Beach in Naguabo,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Héctor Ramírez Carbó for the District of Puerto Rico. “This prosecution sends the message that those who purposely undermine federal environmental laws and endanger the environment and Puerto Rico communities will face felony prosecution for their illegal conduct.”
To conceal the illegal waste discharge, the defendants allegedly hid the submersible pump and hose when not in use and provided false and misleading statements and documents to authorities.
“The defendants willfully disregarded the complete prohibition on discharges under the Clean Water Act and knowingly sent a disgusting sludge of animal blood and waste, and cleaning products into the Caribbean Sea, only miles from nature preserves, beaches, and a military base,” said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Illegal discharges such as these cause serious harm, jeopardizing the safety and health of the water, wildlife, and human health.”
The defendants are scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for their initial appearances.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each charge. GBI faces a maximum penalty of $500,000 in fines per charge.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Recent Posts
Recent Topics
About the Author
