Nutrition: Page 312

NASC launches raw material supplier quality assurance program

National Animal Supplement Council initiated a third-party quality assurance program specifically for raw material suppliers and contract manufacturers. As an extension of the organization’s current NASC Quality Seal Program for finished products in the animal health supplement industry, raw material suppliers and contract manufacturers can now apply for a NASC Quality Supply Chain Partner Seal.

AFIA comments on Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposal

The American Feed Industry Association submitted supplemental comments on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding conditional spot-month position limits for commodity derivatives. In its comments, AFIA said that when input prices become distorted and do not accurately reflect supply and demand conditions, the results are felt throughout the entire supply chain, from producers to consumers.

Pet Food Market

The mother of all petfood trends: grain free

The most recent "Market Report" column from Packaged Facts discusses how petfood and treat marketers continue to focus on health and wellness in their new product development, a strategy that keeps paying off because the message seems to resonate with today's involved consumers who treat their pets as family members.

Study finds maize gluten feed may be beneficial dog food ingredient

A Brazilian scientist conducted a study using two different techniques to measure digestibility and metabolizable energy of maize gluten feed as an ingredient in petfood for dogs. MGF, a co-product of wet milling of maize, is composed of the structures left after most starch, gluten and germ has been extracted from the grain.

Pet Food Regulations

DSHEA revisited for pet supplements?

In a presentation at the annual meeting of the National Animal Supplement Council a few months ago, a representative of the US Food and Drug Administration made a very interesting comment. He said that in FDA’s attempt to find “legal homes” for the plethora of unapproved ingredients currently on the market, one possibility is for FDA to reconsider the applicability of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) for products intended for animal consumption.

Pet Food Ingredients

Controversy threatens GRAS process for petfood ingredients

A single thread of controversy entangled nearly every committee discussion during the annual Association of American Feed Control Officials meeting in August 2011. That thread was the impending change in the way the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine will oversee the safety of ingredients in petfoods and other animal feeds from now on—and how that change could severely inhibit the industry’s ability to demonstrate the acceptability of its ingredients to state regulators.

A thread of controversy centers on the impending change in the way the Food and Drug Administrationâ€™s Center for Veterinary Medicine will oversee the safety of ingredients in petfoods and other animal feeds from now on.

Natural/Organic Pet Food

Natural petfood market follows human market growth

Despite continuing economic woes in some regions and markets—and consumers still spending conservatively no matter what their financial situations—sales of natural foods, petfoods and other products continue to grow. Consider this: US sales of natural foods and beverages rose 7.7% in 2010 to US$21.3 billion in natural stores alone, according to Natural Foods Merchandiser and described by A. Elizabeth Sloan in the July issue of Food Technology magazine.

Pet Food Ingredients

Impact of high fat and fructose diet in dogs

The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of a high-fat, high-fructose diet (HFFD; fat, 52%; fructose, 17%), in the presence of a partial (~65%) pancreatectomy (PPx), on the response of the liver and extrahepatic tissues to an orally administered, liquid mixed meal. Adult male dogs were fed either a nonpurified, canine control diet (CTR; fat, 26%; no fructose) or a HFFD for eight weeks.

Pet Food Ingredients

Water intake in domestic rabbits

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) often suffer from urolithiasis. A high water intake is important in the prophylaxis of uroliths.

Market Trends and Reports

Can cats convert β-carotene to retinol?

Many animals convert β-carotene to retinol to meet their vitamin A (VA) requirement. However, this pathway is inefficient in many carnivores.

Pet Food Ingredients

Fiber analysis and digestibility in petfoods

Six dry dog foods and six dry cat foods with different carbohydrate sources were investigated in digestion trials. Food and fecal samples were analyzed for crude fiber (CF), total dietary fiber (TDF) and starch.

Veterinarian clarifies natural, organic petfood label terms

Petfood ingredient labels can be confusing to pet owners because certain terms have no legal definition. Ernest Ward, veterinarian and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, says pet owners need to do their research when selecting what to feed their dog or cat. Ward says there is no official definition for the term "natural," which could mean anything that is not syntheic, but does not guarantee the product's quality or nutritional value.

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