Experts Find No Safety Issues in Years Fresh Dog Food

Extensive testing, including 21,757 individual test results across 1,129 distinct substances, finds no evidence of contamination, toxins or safety issues with Years’ food and no link was identified to reported cases of sudden bilateral dry eye.

The multidisciplinary investigation, led by independent experts in food safety, microbiology, toxicology, veterinary clinical nutrition, and veterinary ophthalmology, examined ingredients, retained production meals, and meals returned by customers.

• Comprehensive independent laboratory testing found no evidence of any contamination, toxin, food safety, or packaging migration issue with Years' food, and no link was identified to reported cases of sudden bilateral dry eye.
• Two separate reviews by independent experts confirmed robust, well-established controls in Years' manufacturing, food safety, supplier and quality control processes, with significant safety margins throughout.
• Buckwheat was exhaustively tested for 940 distinct substances, including tropane alkaloids, mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, and fagopyrin, with no toxin, safety, or contamination issues identified.
• 96 dogs with no history of eating Years food have developed sudden bilateral dry eye, both in the UK and in international markets where Years food is neither sold nor consumed.
• The issue, therefore, extends beyond Years and is not specific to Years food.
• As a result, Years will resume serving customers in October. Since customers have expressed a preference to return to our previous recipes, and as a precaution, all Years recipes will now be buckwheat-free.

NOTTINGHAM, 22nd September 2026 – Years today announces the findings of the extensive independently led investigation launched following its voluntary recall of its fresh meals in August.

The investigation included 21,757 individual test results, covering 1,129 distinct substances, across ingredients, retained meals from production, and meals returned by customers across the identified investigation period 1 March to 17 August 2026. The investigation found no contamination, toxin, safety, packaging migration, or manufacturing issue, and no link was identified to reported cases of sudden bilateral dry eye.

Every ingredient was extensively tested, including every batch of buckwheat historically used in Years food. For buckwheat alone, 940 distinct substances were tested for, including tropane alkaloids, mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, and fagopyrin, with no toxin, safety or contamination issue identified.

Years has collaborated with the Food Standards Agency and Trading Standards throughout the investigation, and Years has engaged with both bodies to review and comment on the findings and share all scientific laboratory results, microbiological testing data, and validated manufacturing records.

Independent case data, provided by the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (BrAVO), which launched a widespread investigation, collecting data, across the United Kingdom into sudden bilateral dry eye, has identified 155 cases in Years-fed dogs.

There have also been 96 cases that have never historically been fed Years. 41 in the United Kingdom, and a further 55 cases in international markets where Years’ food is neither sold nor consumed.

The BrAVO case data is fully independent, and specific to the UK - they have been clear they want reports of all sudden bilateral dry eye cases, regardless of diet fed. As with any case reporting exercise, following a voluntary recall, significant national media attention, and social media coverage, there is potential for some degree of over reporting towards Years-fed cases.

As a precaution, and due to the fact that customers have expressed a preference to return to our previous recipes, Years has decided to remove buckwheat from its recipes ahead of resuming serving customers in October. The decision to resume the supply of fresh meals is supported by the investigation finding no evidence of contamination, toxin, safety, packaging migration, or manufacturing issues with Years food.

Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, Co-Founders of Years, said:

“When these reports emerged, we stopped the entire business and focused all our time and effort on understanding what was happening. There was no scientific evidence that our food was responsible, but we were not prepared to take any chances with the dogs people trust us to feed. That is why we voluntarily recalled our fresh meals and commissioned a comprehensive investigation, drawing on independent experts in food safety, toxicology, veterinary clinical nutrition, and veterinary ophthalmology.”

“We wanted the investigation to look at every credible possibility, and to be as comprehensive as possible, and this is why it took weeks rather than days. That meant testing retained production meals, food returned by customers and individual ingredients, looking for a wide range of possible contaminants and other causes. We also had our manufacturing, supplier and food safety processes independently examined.”

“Our investigation is now complete. After extensive independent laboratory tests and two separate manufacturing reviews by independent experts, no contamination, toxin, safety or packaging migration issue has been found in Years food, and no link has been identified between Years food and sudden bilateral dry eye.”

“We know this conclusion may not feel like a resolution if you're caring for a dog with sudden bilateral dry eye. We see how hard this has been. These findings don't change that, nor do they answer the wider question of what is causing this unusual pattern of cases, which is also impacting dogs that were never fed our food, both in the UK and internationally. Whilst we have completed our investigation, we still want to help find those answers, which is why we'll keep sharing our findings with BrAVO and other independent bodies for as long as it takes.”

“For us, and for our customers, the investigation provides important reassurance about the safety of our fresh food, and we look forward to serving customers again in October with our buckwheat-free recipe.”

Extensive investigation results

Years commissioned a multidisciplinary investigation involving independent experts in food safety, microbiology, toxicology, veterinary clinical nutrition and veterinary ophthalmology, alongside specialists from the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham.

Years began investigating on 22 July 2026, after receiving 11 reports of potential sudden bilateral dry eye, with a precautionary, voluntary recall issued on 17 August 2026 following an increase to 57 potential cases. Customer-reported symptom data that became available after the voluntary recall, established the investigation period as 1 March to 17 August 2026.

The investigation systematically examined potential explanations for the reported cases, including ingredients and suppliers, recipes and manufacturing processes, nutritional and microbiological factors, potential contamination and naturally occurring toxins, packaging, and Years’ food safety and quality control systems. Customer, batch and exposure data were also analysed to identify potential correlations and inform further testing.

Testing involved 21,757 individual tests across 1,129 distinct substances, covering individual ingredients, retained meals, and meals returned by customers, with key tests repeated across multiple batches and time periods to verify the findings.

The investigation found:

• No evidence of contamination, toxin or safety issue with Years’ food
• No evidence of contamination, toxin or safety issue with Years’ ingredients
• No evidence of toxin, migration or safety issue with Years’ packaging

Buckwheat, which was referenced in the recall notice of 17 August 2026, was extensively tested, including every batch of buckwheat historically used in Years food, finding:

• No evidence of contamination from tropane alkaloids (Datura stramonium)
• No evidence of fagopyrin from buckwheat in Years’ food
• No evidence of contamination, toxin or safety issues from mycotoxins, pesticides, sulphonamides or heavy metals

This was supported by two separate reviews, by independent experts examining Years' manufacturing and food safety systems and potential toxicological pathways.

• An independently validated cooking process, with significant built-in safety margins, confirmed compliant and operating as intended.
• Established quality management systems and competently run manufacturing facilities
• Supplier approval processes are robust, with the buckwheat supplier subject to comprehensive pre-supplier validation, detailed product specifications, Certificates of Analysis, IFS Food Version 8 (GFSI-recognised) and full traceability

Wider investigation into acute sudden bilateral dry eye

In the UK, ophthalmologists and primary care vets have reported that they have seen 41 cases in dogs that have never been fed Years’ food. Veterinary ophthalmologists in Finland and Hungary, international markets where Years food is neither sold nor consumed, have separately reported a further 55 cases of sudden bilateral dry eye.

Elina Pietilä, veterinary ophthalmologist and Chair of the Hereditary Eye Disease Committee at the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, reported 25 cases of sudden bilateral dry eye, between herself and one other colleague. With Finland's dog population at just 781,000, this implies a higher rate than the UK’s official figures, despite Finland having had no recall, no publicity, and no coordinated effort to collect this data.

In both Finland and Hungary, dry and wet dog foods containing buckwheat were present in a significant number of affected dogs' diets, at a prevalence higher than buckwheat's overall market share.

This is an observation and not proof of correlation or causation, particularly given that:

• None of the three countries has yet reported how many affected dogs were not eating buckwheat
• Diet has not historically been identified as a cause for sudden bilateral dry eye
• Other potential contributing factors need to be considered: including environmental exposures, seasonal variation, and medications

Notwithstanding this, Years took the possibility seriously and tested extensively to help rule out potential toxin, safety or contamination issues:

• Buckwheat used by Years was extensively tested for 940 distinct substances, including tropane alkaloids, mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, and fagopyrin, with no toxin, safety, or contamination issues identified.
• A further 273 retained production meals and customer-returned meals containing buckwheat were also tested, with no toxin, safety or contamination issues identified
• Years' buckwheat traceability records show no single farm supplying all the affected batches across the investigation period, and cross-checking against other companies' buckwheat supply chains found no link either
• Over the investigation period (1 March–17 August), Years used 5 distinct buckwheat batches across 1,380 cooking cycles and 145 meal production batches. Cases among affected dogs were not concentrated in any single buckwheat batch, cooking cycle, or production batch

Buckwheat is a well-established ingredient with a strong safety record. It is listed on the GB Register of Feed Materials and has been used safely in commercial pet food for decades. Nonetheless, a reaction in dogs could have gone unnoticed across the wider pet food market until now, since ophthalmologists don't routinely ask about the diet the dog is fed, and buckwheat typically makes up only a small share of the market.

Years' scale is what makes the difference: Years fed ~63,000 dogs between 1 March and 17 August 2026, which means that if a reaction exists, Years' data would be far more likely to reveal it than data from smaller buckwheat-using brands

The precise mechanism by which buckwheat might trigger individual sensitivity, an adverse reaction, or some other biological pathway not yet known to science, in certain dogs, are not questions Years can answer. They require appropriate scientific experts and regulatory bodies to investigate and if possible, determine.

Years will share all relevant findings with BrAVO, the Food Standards Agency, and Trading Standards who are best placed to take this analysis forward. We will also support further international data collection and commission further scientific testing as new information emerges.

Ongoing support & research

While extensive laboratory testing and two separate reviews by independent experts have found no issue with Years' food, Years does not believe that should stand in the way of supporting its customers and their dogs, as much as possible, when they need it the most.

Sudden bilateral dry eye diagnosis
Sudden bilateral dry eye is a diagnosis that develops suddenly, with a very low Schirmer tear rating between 0-5, and is typically unresponsive to traditional treatments - which can be extremely painful for the dogs involved.

Dry eye
Dry eye is a diagnosis that develops over weeks to months, with a low Schirmer tear rating between 6-15, and is typically responsive to traditional treatments after 3-6 months. Symptoms include redness, thick mucoid discharge, and squinting - all of which can be uncomfortable for the dogs affected.

Unfortunately, ~15,600 dogs are diagnosed with dry eye each year in the UK, with the condition affecting 1 in every 250 dogs overall and rising to as many as 1 in 17 in predisposed, higher-risk breeds.

If your dog has a diagnosis of sudden bilateral dry eye, and you haven’t already been in touch, please contact us. The following support is currently available, regardless of whether your dog has been diagnosed with sudden bilateral dry eye or another form of dry eye. We're actively developing further options and will follow up with everyone who submitted the symptom form by September 29.

• Veterinary ophthalmologist consultations – book a one-to-one video consultation call with a team of independent ophthalmologists (new availability added)
• Free prescription service - book a one-to-one call with an RCVS vet who assesses and prescribes, so you can buy eye treatment at online pharmacies, usually cheaper than at a practice
• Discounted medicines – Your free prescription can be used at any pharmacy, a selection of which are in your account area
• RCVS Veterinary Eye Health consultations - book a one-to-one video consultation call with an RCVS veterinary surgeon, covering eye health and prescriptions
• Veterinary 24/7 support - access a network of 70+ vets, day or night. Send a video message with your questions and get a personal video reply when you need fast advice.

This is available to access in your Years account. If you purchased through a retailer, please contact us for access.

Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, Co-Founders of Years

“On behalf of every dog that has suffered or is suffering from sudden bilateral dry eye, whether a Years customer or not, no matter what food has been fed, or what country they're in, we are determined to try to understand what is causing the rise in cases.”

To understand the treatments that are working, Years will collect outcomes across reported cases and share this with the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. How dogs respond to different treatments may also offer a clue to the underlying cause.

Years will also fund an independent study, led by David Williams, Veterinary Ophthalmologist and PhD in Ocular Immunology at the Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, Cambridge, involving histopathological analysis of lacrimal tissue from affected dogs, to explore whether an underlying cause can be identified.

In parallel, Years will continue to work with companies and veterinary ophthalmologists internationally, to understand their scientific testing results and reported case numbers, and to help facilitate further data collection.

We would welcome other companies and the wider industry joining us in this effort, to help give dog owners the answers they deserve.”