London-UK, September 26, 2025

The United Kingdom’s pet food sector is celebrating a promising trend as the Salmonella in raw pet food continues to drop in UK, according to the latest figures released by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA Report Indicates). This decline in contamination reports, coming off record highs seen in 2022, suggests that enhanced industry vigilance and regulatory oversight within the UK are yielding positive results in tackling a persistent public health risk. The news is a significant development for both pet owners, who are increasingly drawn to raw meat diets, and the regulatory bodies in London, UK, responsible for safeguarding the human-animal interface.

The decrease in reported isolations signals that efforts by manufacturers and compliance checks performed by the APHA have successfully interrupted transmission pathways, particularly within the raw meat-based pet food (RMPF) supply chain. While raw pet food, which is not subjected to a heat treatment to eliminate pathogens, will always carry an inherent risk, the data provides crucial evidence that effective hygienic practices and risk mitigation strategies are making a measurable difference.

Headline Points (HPs):

 * Significant Decline: Reports of Salmonella contamination in raw meat-based pet food dropped to 290 isolations in 2024, down from 331 in 2023 and a peak of 406 in 2022.

 * Industry Compliance: The reduction is attributed to heightened scrutiny and improved hygiene controls adopted by manufacturers following increased public awareness and regulatory pressure after the 2022 peak.

 * Most Common Serovars: The most frequently isolated serovars in raw pet food remain Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Indiana, and Salmonella Typhimurium.

 * Public Health Risk: APHA reiterates that contaminated raw pet food poses a direct threat to pets and, via cross-contamination, to human handlers, especially children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.

 * Wider Trends: The drop in pet food cases contrasts with an overall 16.2% decrease in Salmonella isolations across the main livestock species (cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry) in Great Britain.

APHA Data Confirms Falling Contamination Levels

The comprehensive annual report on Salmonella in animals and feed in Great Britain, published by the APHA, provides the granular detail behind the encouraging headline. Specifically, the number of Salmonella isolations reported from raw meat-based pet food fell to 290 in 2024. This continues the downward trajectory from the 331 reports in 2023 and the recent high of 406 reports in 2022.

It is important to note that the raw pet food category has historically shown the highest number of Salmonella-contaminated samples of all animal feeds tested by the APHA, an expected finding given that the raison d’être of raw feeding is the lack of a cooking step that would otherwise eliminate the bacteria. The contamination typically stems from the raw meat components, which are often by-products from the human food chain.

The report also detailed the serovars—the specific types of Salmonella—found in the contaminated pet food. The most common types were identified as Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Indiana, and Salmonella Typhimurium. Of particular regulatory concern, the number of isolations involving regulated serovars (those subject to specific control measures) also showed a slight decline, falling to 95 findings in 2024 from 99 in the previous year.

The Response: Better Hygiene and Industry Due Diligence

Experts and industry bodies in the UK suggest that the sustained drop is not coincidental but a direct result of concerted efforts across the supply chain. Following the peak in 2022, which drew significant public and media attention, the raw pet food industry faced mounting pressure to improve its production standards.

Manufacturers have reportedly invested in better microbial controls, including the implementation of non-thermal pasteurisation methods like High-Pressure Processing (HPP) or the more stringent application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. These measures are designed to mitigate the risk of contamination in the absence of traditional cooking. Furthermore, tighter segregation of raw materials, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols for processing equipment, and rigorous testing regimes for both ingredients and finished products are believed to be instrumental in the reduction.

The APHA, in cooperation with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), has also likely increased surveillance and enforcement actions, focusing on smaller manufacturers who, according to earlier reports, were sometimes less compliant with basic hygiene and HACCP requirements.

A Reminder of the Persistent Zoonotic Risk

While the downward trend is positive, the APHA Report cautions against complacency. The agency explicitly highlighted that contaminated raw meat pet food still represents a potential source of infection to both the animals consuming it and, crucially, to people who handle it. This phenomenon, known as zoonotic transmission, occurs when pathogenic bacteria are spread from pets or their food to humans, typically through cross-contamination in the kitchen, handling of bowls and utensils, or contact with the pet’s saliva and faeces.

The report stresses that even with the reduced prevalence, strict hygiene measures remain absolutely essential in homes where pets are fed a raw diet. This includes: thorough handwashing after handling the food or the pet’s mouth area, rigorous cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces that come into contact with the food, and careful segregation of pet food from human food in the refrigerator or freezer.

The continuous monitoring and reporting by the APHA, operating out of its key centres across Great Britain and reporting to the central government in London, UK, serve as a vital tool for assessing both animal and public health risks. The latest data provides welcome assurance that the industry is moving in the right direction, but it equally underscores that the battle against Salmonella in raw pet food is an ongoing necessity for the protection of British families and their cherished companions.