Is expensive pet food worth it? According to experts, not necessarily

Attention Walmart shoppers: bags of dry Pedigree-branded dog food sold by the retailer have been recalled because they may contain loose pieces of metal, posing a health hazard to pets.

The recall involves 44-pound bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food sold by Walmart in these states:

• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Oklahoma 
• Texas

Franklin, Tenn.-based Mars Petcare, which manufactures Pedigree dog food, said in a notice posted on Saturday by the Food and Drug Administration that the recall involves 315 bags of the kibble.

The recalled product has a best-by-date of March 4, 2025 and the lot code 410B2TXT02 printed on the bottom of the back of the packaging, according to the company, a division of food conglomerate Mars Inc. of McLean, Va.

The recalled dog food was sold at 176 stores in four states, according to Walmart. See list of stores here.

Those who purchased the impacted dog food should stop using it and contact the the company for a return. Mars Petcare can be reached at 1-800-525-5273 or by visiting https://www.pedigree.com/update.

Mars worked with Walmart in the four states where the product was distributed to ensure the recalled food was taken off store shelves, it said.

Extraneous pieces of metal as well as plastic are a frequent source of food recalls. The Department of Agriculture earlier in the month issued a public health alert due to worries raw pork chorizo products might be contaminated with hard plastic and metal, and H-E-B last month recalled ice cream due to potential metal fragments in cups of Creamy Creations. 

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.