MINNEAPOLIS — The animal nutrition business of Cargill voluntarily recalled select Southern States feed due to high aflatoxin levels that exceed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. Livestock, poultry and horses were exposed to the aflatoxin and are at risk to several health hazards.

Cargill’s Cleveland, North Carolina, facility manufactured the affected products. The company said it first learned of the issues when it received a notification from the North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture of test results showing a single lot of specific Southern States product contained elevated levels of aflatoxin.

 “No adverse health effects to animals have been reported to date. Nonetheless, Cargill is taking this voluntary step out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a release.

Aflatoxin toxicity can cause reduced feed intake, reduced weight gain, liver damage, jaundice, and eventually death. 

The affected products were manufactured and sold in the eastern United States and were removed from retail shelves in February, March and April 2019. Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia markets all removed the products from retail locations.

The recalled products include:

Consumers and other end users who have any of the affected lots in their possession should return remaining product to their local dealer or retailer for a replacement or full refund. For more information, call 800.822.1012.

“At Cargill, the safety of our products and the well-being of the animals we feed is our top priority,” the company said. “This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of and in cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration.”