Health Highlights: March 30, 2021

Salmonella Scare Drives Pet Food Recall

A number of brands of dog and cat food are being recalled by Midwestern Pet Foods due to possible salmonella contamination that poses a risk to both pets who eat the products and people who handle them, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

The recall is for certain lots of the following brands: CanineX, Earthborn Holistic, Venture, Unrefined, Sportmix Wholesomes, Pro Pac, Pro Pac Ultimates, Sportstrail, Sportmix and Meridian, the agency said.

A full list of the recalled brands can be found here.

Healthy people infected with salmonella can experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, salmonella can trigger more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms, the FDA said in a news release.

Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian. No human or pet illnesses have been reported to date, the FDA said.

Lot code information may be found on the back of the bags with the following format:

"EXP AUG/02/22/M1/L#

The products were distributed to retail stores across the United States and to online retailers.

For more information, consumers can call the company at 1-800-474-4163, ext. 455.

Band-Aid Has New Line of Racially Diverse Bandages

A new line of bandages with racially diverse skin tones was launched earlier this month by Band-Aid.

The line is called OurTone and includes three shades of brown, CBS News reported.

Band-Aid said nine months ago that it would introduce a range of bandages with black and brown skin tones, an announcement that came in response to protests for racial justice. The company also said that it would donate to Black Lives Matter.

The new line of bandages received largely favorable reaction on social media. For example, one person tweeted: "Sometimes little things are actually big things," CBS News reported.

The company previously came out with a line of multi-toned bandages called Perfect Blend in 2005, but they were discontinued due to what Band-Aid called a "lack of interest."

The company isn't saying why it expects its latest launch to be more successful, but stated it is committed to keeping its new offering on store shelves.

"We recognize our responsibility to make the wound care category more inclusive and to offer bandages in a variety of shades. Consumers can expect OurTone to be part of the band-aid portfolio for the long-term," the spokesperson stated.

Other companies already offering a range of bandages for brown skin tones include Tru-Colour and Browndages, both Black-owned businesses, CBS News reported.