Justice Department sues Washington pet food maker over contamination claims

The United States has filed a civil complaint seeking to permanently enjoin a Washington state pet food manufacturer from producing and selling adulterated pet food, according to the Justice Department.

The complaint, filed Aug. 7, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that Gary T. Tashjian, through his business, Arrow Reliance Inc. — also 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.

“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. He added that the department will continue working with the FDA and taking action against food manufacturers that operate under insanitary conditions.

Timothy Schell, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the company has continued manufacturing and distributing products contaminated with harmful bacteria despite repeated FDA warnings. He said the agency will intervene when companies fail to take responsibility for product safety.

According to the complaint, FDA testing found pathogenic bacteria — including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli — in the company’s finished pet food products in samples collected from 2017 through 2025. Investigators also found Salmonella at the company’s Tukwila facility in 2024. The Justice Department said infections from these bacteria can cause diarrhea and vomiting in healthy adults and more severe outcomes, including death, in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, older adults and people with compromised immune systems. Listeria monocytogenes can also cause stillbirths and miscarriages.

The complaint further alleges — without the claims having been proven — that Arrow Reliance’s products repeatedly infected consumers over several years. FDA investigators detected pathogenic bacteria in unopened product samples after multiple customers reported health problems affecting people or pets. In one case described in the complaint, a four-year-old child developed a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in 2024 after the family dog was fed Arrow Reliance products. Third-party laboratory testing of the family’s unopened pet food confirmed the presence of both Salmonella and STEC bacteria. The complaint describes the sequence of events but does not establish that the dog or pet food transmitted the infection to the child.

Arrow Reliance’s pet food products are sold throughout the country, according to the complaint. The government is seeking an injunction requiring Tashjian and Arrow Reliance to implement sanitation improvements and comply with federal preventive-controls regulations and other food-safety requirements before making or distributing any additional pet food.

Trial Attorney David Crockett of the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch is handling the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kayla C. Stahman for the Western District of Washington and Associate Chief Counsel Rachel E. King of the FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.

The claims in the complaint remain allegations. If the case proceeds to trial, the government must prove them by a preponderance of the evidence.