Pet Food Safety: Page 58

AFIA comments on FSMA at public meeting

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) on November 21 along with 90 other industry members attended the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Public Meeting to provide industry feedback on the proposed rule to establish current good manufacturing practice and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for animal food. The meeting, held in College Park, Maryland, USA, was the first of three nationwide to be hosted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to answer questions and take part in dialogue surrounding the proposed animal food rule.

AFIA, NGFA to host free FSMA webinar on December 11

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Feedstuffs will host a free webinar from 2-5 p.m. EST on December 11, which will address current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for food for animals. Registration for the webinar, Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – What You Need to Know Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals, is available for free online.

GA Pet Food Partners receives top rating from British Retail Consortium

GA Pet Food Partners received a grade "A" rating from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) for implementing best practices in its petfood manufacturing process. BRC audits the whole chain, from the sourcing of raw materials through to being able to trace product from the retail shelf back the origin of the ingredients.

TraceGains to host FSMA webinar on December 13

TraceGains will present a webinar on December 13 at 12 p.m. EDT, entitled, "Preparing for FSMA's Animal Food/Feed Rule." The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will make the industry subject to mandatory Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and a new preventive controls program under this new rule (section 103 of FSMA for animal food facilities that must register under section 415 of FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 350d, to establish and implement a food safety system that includes a hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls).

Study from FDA warns pet owners to avoid raw petfood diets

A new study from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that compared to other types of petfood tested, raw petfood was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. As a result, FDA is warning pet owners who feed pets a raw diet that they may be at a greater risk for infections from Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

Facebook group warning pet owners not to buy jerky treats from China

A Facebook group called Animal Parents Against Pet Treats and Food Made in China is warning pet owners about jerky treats from China that are under investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration. The group is attaching warnings to packages of these treats in stores that read: “Beware! FDA investigates pet treats from CHINA. Thousands of complaints filed. Hundreds of deaths reported.”

Bailey's Choice expands chicken dog treats recall in Georgia, USA

Bailey's Choice Dog Treats LLC of Waleska, Georgia, USA, is expanding its earlier recall of select packages of chicken dog treats due to potential Salmonella contamination, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The recall was expanded to include 5-ounce packages of the following treats:

Pet Food Regulations

AAFCO Official Publication goes online

Any petfood manufacturer distributing product in the US needs to be familiar with the contents of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Official Publication (OP) to formulate and label products to be in compliance with the regulations of most states. As mentioned in my October Petfood Industry column, an online version of the OP is now available.

Bailey's Choice Dog Treats issues recall of chicken treats for possible Salmonella contamination

Bailey's Choice Dog Treats LLC of Waleska, Georgia, USA, is recalling packages of dog treats due to possible Salmonella contamination, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The company is recalling packages of chicken treats in various size packages marked with lot number #132881 and expiration date February 2014, as well as 5-ounce bags of chicken jerky treats with a lot number of "Jun 5 2013."

Pet Food Safety

Petfood safety purrs and growls for 2013

The recent release of the proposed feed/petfood preventive control rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) caps a year of news, progress, regress and concerns about petfood safety in the US, making this a fitting time to assign accolades and criticisms to entities and people involved.

Pet Food Market

Release of FSMA petfood preventive control rule had curious timing

It would be a stretch to say that US petfood manufacturers welcomed last week's release, finally, of the proposed feed/petfood preventive control rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Complying to the new regulations, once the final version is released next year, will require significant investments by some manufacturers. Yet after months--actually, years--of waiting to see these specific rules that apply to feed and petfood, at least the industry finally knows exactly what it's facing.

Register for free Microbiological Diagnostics Validation webinar on November 22

Register for the free webinar, Microbiological Diagnostics Validation - the information that you really need to know, which will be held Friday, November 22 at 9 a.m. CT. This webinar will focus on the information and challenges involved with the selection and validation of microbiological diagnostic platforms for the detection of bacterial pathogens (Salmonella) in petfood ingredients, the processing environment and finished products.

The free Microbiological Diagnostics Validation webinar will be presented by Trouw Nutrition on November 22.

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