Pet food manufacturers are increasingly turning to automated quality control systems to address the growing complexity of formulation management, particularly as ingredient variability and supply chain disruptions continue to challenge the industry, said Ian Mealey, product marketing director for formulations at Format Solutions.
During his session at Petfood Forum Asia, Mealey will explain how these new technologies focus on validating and approving recipes before they reach production floors. "Changing recipes is necessary but comes with risk of error and disruption to production," Mealey said. "Technology can be used to formalize checks on new recipes to quickly identify those with errors and stopping them before they reach production."
The automated systems are designed to formalize expert knowledge into rules-based validation processes. This approach directly addresses common industry challenges where ingredient quality, cost and availability issues may force recipe modifications that can compromise nutritional targets or production efficiency.
According to Mealey, the traditional approach to recipe validation often involves multiple stakeholders bringing individual perspectives to what can become a time-consuming and inconsistent process. "Using technology to formalize this knowledge and relevant rules and regulations and apply as an automated validation process will bring efficiency and reliability, highlighting errors to be corrected before they reach production," he noted.
The investment in these quality control programs represents a long-term quality assurance strategy rather than a quick-return proposition. However, Mealey emphasizes that avoiding even a single formulation error and associated product recall can justify the investment while protecting brand reputation.
"ROI of quality control programs for formulations can be viewed in terms of the long-term quality assurance investment," said Mealey. "The avoidance of one error and associated claim will mean return on investment and avoid damage to reputation. Furthermore, manually checking recipes for quality assurance is a time-consuming process, itself subject to human error. Using tools and automated processes ensures efficiency and reliability."
As the pet food industry continues to prioritize product consistency and safety, these formulation risk management tools are becoming essential components of comprehensive quality assurance strategies, helping manufacturers cost-effectively produce reliable products while minimizing production disruptions, said Mealey.
Petfood Forum Asia will feature exclusive sessions and networking opportunities focused on the Asian pet food market. The one-day seminar will be co-located with Pet Fair South East Asia on October 29 in Bangkok, Thailand. To register, click here.
