Are Imported Jerky Treats Safe? Why 'Made Close to Home' Matters
What the jerky-treat scare taught pet parents — and how to choose a treat you can trust.
If you've ever hesitated over a bag of jerky treats, you're not alone. For years, the FDA investigated reports of pets getting sick after eating certain jerky treats — and the pattern pointed heavily at products sourced and manufactured overseas. It's a big reason so many pet parents now flip the bag over and ask: where was this actually made, and from what?
That instinct is a good one. Here's how to choose a jerky or dehydrated treat you can feel good about.
Know the source. The single most important thing is transparency: who made it, where, and from what ingredients. A clear, named producer close to home is easier to trust than a long, murky supply chain that traveled a great distance.
Read the ingredient list. The safest treats are single-ingredient — one recognizable protein like chicken breast or beef liver — with no fillers, artificial preservatives, or vague "meals." If you can't picture every ingredient, that's worth questioning.
Watch for the red flags. Skip treats with unclear origins, and remember that a few everyday foods should never be in a treat at all — see our can-my-pet-eat guide for the toxic ones: everypethaven.com/blog/can-my-pet-eat/.
This is exactly why we're building EveryPetHaven Kitchen the way we are: fresh, gently-dehydrated, single-ingredient treats made close to home — not shipped stale from overseas — with the net weight on every bag and nothing on the label you can't pronounce. If knowing your treat's source matters to you, join our launch list at everypethaven.com/kickstarter.
General information, not veterinary advice. If you think a treat made your pet sick, stop feeding it and contact your vet.