Voluntary recall of all Years fresh meals

Dry eye happens when a dog's eyes stop producing enough tears, which can lead to irritation, redness and discomfort if untreated. 'Bilateral' means it affects both eyes, typically with zero tear production, and 'sudden' means it comes on quickly rather than developing gradually.

No. We are advising all customers, as a precautionary measure, to stop feeding Years meals which contain buckwheat.

Stop feeding Years meals. Please contact your vet as soon as possible - early treatment makes a real difference. It would also help the investigation if you could let us know too. With your permission, Years would also welcome the opportunity to speak directly with your vet or veterinary ophthalmologist.

Seeing your dog in discomfort, especially with something sudden and unexplained, is genuinely distressing, and we want to help however we can.

• After you have stopped feeding Years - please follow your vet's advice first and foremost - including whether to pause feeding Years while things are assessed. They know your dog's situation best.
• Let us know directly. We'll send you a short data request sheet to capture the details of your dog's case - this genuinely helps us build a clearer picture, and every case matters to the investigation.
• Hold on to any unopened or part-used product you have. This may help as part of our investigation.

Thank you for reporting this to us and thank you for your patience while we investigated. We are under no illusion that this would have had a massive impact on you and your dog's life, and we welcome discussing with you further on how we can help.

We will be reaching out to everyone impacted, but if you want to speed up the process or have not heard from us in 72 hours, please email: care@years.com

We want to personally acknowledge and thank the customers who set up Facebook groups, who pushed, and who demanded answers. Your advocacy made a real difference. Giving us the ability to properly challenge our advisors, and to look again at what could really be causing dry eye in dogs.

Alongside customer advocates, several ophthalmologists that actively engaged with us, thank you, some of the data points you shared have really assisted the investigation.

The investigation will continue to be led by our dedicated food safety and technical team, and two independent experts to ensure a structured investigation. This includes a root cause analysis specialist focused on our product and manufacturing processes, and a toxicologist focused on identifying any interactions at a biological level.

Supporting is an RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition. We will communicate the findings in due course, and continue to consult with the ophthalmologist community.

Yes. Following our ongoing investigation, we've made the decision to reformulate our recipes – immediately removing buckwheat and returning to super seed, quinoa.

We recommend a minimally processed wholefood diet wherever possible.

Yes. We'll arrange a full refund for any of the recalled Signature Meals you've bought. You don't need to post anything back, and if you'd prefer, you can return them in store instead. An order number helps us process it faster, but you won't be refused a refund without one, and there's no time limit.

Only some of the Years Signature Meals recipes contain buckwheat: Chicken Casserole (320g and 630g), Pork Stew (320g and 630g), Steak & Kidney Hotpot (320g and 630g) and Surf & Turf (320g and 630g). Each contains a small amount of buckwheat (between 6.3% and 7.2% depending on the recipe).

Chef's Paella (400g) is part of the Signature Meals range but does not contain buckwheat.

• In late July, we began receiving multiple reports of dogs experiencing sudden, bilateral dry eye.
• On 1st August, an independent vet and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition advised that a link to Years foods was unlikely based on available data, but recommended we investigate. We launched an evidence based investigation, including:
  • UKAS-accredited independent lab testing of Years meals and Breed Health+ supplements for heavy metals, mycotoxins, alkaloids, pesticides and veterinary drug residues
  • Direct engagement with ophthalmologists across the UK to understand the clinical picture and case data
  • A customer questionnaire to identify patterns in diet, environment and other factors
  • Two independent experts appointed to lead formal root cause and toxicology investigations
• As of 16th August, we've received 57 suspected cases out of roughly 40,000 customers year to date (0.1%), with most reported after 12th August. Given rising case numbers, input from customer advocates and ophthalmologists, and growing evidence around buckwheat.
• On 17th August to proactively and voluntarily issue a full recall. Rising case numbers - combined with input from customer advocates, further feedback from ophthalmologists, and growing evidence around buckwheat - led us to make the decision to proactively and voluntarily issue this full recall.

Just the meals – the Breed Health+ supplements do not contain any buckwheat

No other products are affected, just the meals

There is no evidence to date which suggests this would be the case.

No, no other symptoms, other than those listed above.

If your dog isn't showing any of the symptoms above, there's no need to get them checked by a vet as a precaution. That said, if you're ever concerned about your dog's health, please do speak to a qualified vet.

Yes the FSA have been advised, along with Trading Standards, prior to us issuing this recall.

Yes we will.

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Only the Years Signature Meals recipes that contain buckwheat are being recalled and refunded: Chicken Casserole (320g and 630g), Pork Stew (320g and 630g), Steak & Kidney Hotpot (320g and 630g) and Surf & Turf (320g and 630g).

Chef's Paella (400g) is part of the Signature Meals range but does not contain buckwheat, so it is being withdrawn from sale as a precaution only - it is not part of the recall and is not refunded.

As an extra precaution. Only the Signature Meals recipes listed above contain buckwheat. The rest of the range, including Chef's Paella, is being paused from sale out of caution while the investigation continues - not because of any confirmed issue. These products will return to sale once reformulation is complete.

No. This is a precautionary recall while independent testing, an appointed toxicologist and ophthalmologists complete their investigation. It has not been confirmed as a food safety failure.

We don't have a confirmed return-to-sale date yet. We'll post the latest updates on this page.