Years Dog Food Recall: What Owners Need to Check Now

If a Years Fresh Meal is waiting in the cupboard, the current instruction is simple: do not feed it. Years says it has voluntarily recalled all of its Fresh Meals, excluding its Chef’s Collection, while an investigation into reports of sudden dry eye continues.

The company’s care page, last updated on 20 August, says 192 customers had reported potential, as-yet-unverified eye issues by 9pm on 18 August. It describes the recall as precautionary and says no causal link between its food and sudden bilateral dry eye has been established.

That distinction matters, but it does not weaken the immediate action. Owners do not need to decide what caused the reports before following the recall: stop feeding the affected meals, keep useful product records and contact a vet promptly if a dog develops eye symptoms.

The immediate action for Years customers

Years tells customers to stop feeding its recalled Fresh Meals immediately, whether or not their dog has symptoms. It says not to give the meals to another animal, donate them or sell them.

The recall covers Years Fresh Meals for puppies, adults and senior dogs. The company says Chef’s Collection is excluded. It also says Breed Health+ supplements do not contain buckwheat and that treats and other products are not affected.

Because this is a live investigation, check the current Years recall and customer-care page before acting on an old email or screenshot. If the identity of a product is unclear, contact Years using the support route on that page rather than guessing from its appearance.

Which eye signs does the recall page describe?

The reported condition is sudden bilateral dry eye. “Bilateral” means both eyes are affected. Dry eye occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears, leaving them vulnerable to irritation and discomfort.

Years asks owners to look for:

• excessive blinking or squinting;
• repeated pawing at the eyes;
• thick eye discharge; and
• obvious discomfort around the eyes.

If any of these signs appear, stop the meals and contact a vet as soon as possible. Tell the practice that the dog has eaten food covered by the Years recall and take the packaging, batch information and feeding dates if they are available.

Do not wait for every listed sign to appear, and do not try to diagnose dry eye from a photograph. Eye pain and discharge have several possible causes; an individual dog needs a veterinary examination.

Years says a dog without symptoms does not need a precautionary veterinary check solely because it ate the food. Owners should still stop feeding it, and anyone worried about their dog can ask their veterinary practice for advice.

What the investigation has and has not found

Years says it began receiving multiple reports in late July. An independent vet and Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons specialist advised on 1 August that a link to the food appeared unlikely on the information then available, while recommending further investigation. The company says it decided on a full voluntary recall on 17 August as reports increased and more information emerged.

The investigation is now focused on possible contamination within part of the buckwheat supply—not on buckwheat itself. Years says every Fresh Meal recipe contained a small amount of buckwheat, while the excluded Chef’s Collection did not.

This remains a working hypothesis, not a finding. The company says it has not established a definitive cause and that independent laboratory testing is continuing. Its stated work includes testing meals and supplements, gathering clinical information from veterinary ophthalmologists, reviewing customer reports and using independent root-cause and toxicology specialists.

Reports made to a company are not the same as clinically verified cases, and timing after a recipe change does not prove causation. Equally, uncertainty is not a reason to ignore a recall. The responsible position is to follow the safety instruction while leaving the causal conclusion open.

Returns, refunds and reporting a suspected case

For unused meals, Years’ main instruction is disposal. Customers who bought recalled Signature Meals from a shop can return them to the point of purchase for a full refund; the company says no receipt is required and even partly used packs can be returned. Keep the packaging, batch code and best-before date until the return or refund is complete if possible.

Years has paused subscriptions for an initial six weeks and says it plans to reformulate the meals with quinoa instead of buckwheat. Customers remain able to pause or cancel through their account.

If a dog has received a sudden bilateral dry-eye diagnosis, the company’s care page links to its symptom tracker and dedicated support team. It also publishes a route for submitting veterinary-cost documentation to its insurer’s claims handler. Following those routes does not replace veterinary care.

A useful record includes the recipes fed, dates, pack or batch details, when signs first appeared, photographs taken at the time and the vet’s findings. Preserve original documents rather than relying only on social-media posts.

What should replace the recalled food?

Do not mix recalled food into a replacement meal to make a gradual transition: the instruction is to stop feeding it. A healthy adult dog may have several suitable complete-food options, but puppies and dogs on a medical, allergy or tightly controlled diet need more individual advice.

Check that a replacement is labelled as a complete food for the dog’s species and life stage. If the dog has an existing condition or changing food is likely to be difficult, ask the veterinary practice that knows the dog rather than copying another owner’s emergency substitute.

The clear action while the cause remains open

The scientific answer may take time. The owner action does not: stop the affected Fresh Meals, do not pass them to another animal, retain identifying details and seek veterinary help promptly for eye discomfort, discharge, squinting or persistent pawing.

Keep returning to the live care page. A developing recall should be followed through its current record, not the first version of the story.

Sources and update record

• Years: voluntary recall of all Fresh Meals and live customer guidance
• The Guardian: independent reporting on the Years recall
• GOV.UK: how food and feed recalls work

Last checked: 23 August 2026, 14:20 BST. Material update: product scope, reported-total wording, symptoms, returns and the limits of the buckwheat-supply hypothesis were checked against the current Years care page. No cause has been established.