Pet Food Safety: Page 83

FDA member addresses FSMA requirements for petfood safety

At Petfood Forum 2012, Daniel G. McChesney, PhD, director of the Office of Surveillance and compliance, Center for Veterinary Medicine, US Food and Drug Administration , spoke to petfood and treat manufacturers and petfood ingredient suppliers about necessary requirements and timelines for compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act. Dr. McChesney told his audience that the main themes of the food safety law are prevention; inspections, compliance and response; enhanced partnerships; and import safety.

Kibble 1204 Pe Tfsma

Brazilian Association of the Pet Product Industry releases new manual

The Brazilian Association of the Pet Product Industry recently published its Pet Food Brasil Manual with the goal of constantly improving petfood production. The new publication is an update of the current PIQ PET Manual, which was developed six years ago by the entity's technical groups of professionals from associated companies and universities.

Compy dog food wants consumers to contact them over pet illnesses

After supermarket chain Mercadona pulled Compy wet dog food off shelves in select stores in Spain due to reports of pets suffering from kidney failure, dog owners are submitting claim forms to a new website set up by those living in Spain. But, the dog food’s manufacturer is urging concerned consumers to contact them directly instead.

FDA issues interim final record-keeping rule for petfood companies

The US Food and Drug Administration issued an interim final rule amending its regulations on record-keeping by food and petfood companies be consistent with the agency's authority for access to records, which was expanded by the Food Safety Modernization Act. The new interim final rule, effective March 1, makes the reference to records access in the food-firm record-keeping requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act consistent with the current statutory language in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Chinese pet owners import American-made petfood for safety

Amid calls by American pet owners for the US Food and Drug Administration to recall chicken jerky treats from China, Chinese pet owners are importing "made in America" petfood in an effort to prevent their own pets from becoming sick by eating petfoods made in China. A number of US petfood companies currently export petfood to Hong Kong, according to a recent article, which says that petfood manufacturers Innova, Solid Gold, Pinnacle, Canidae/Felidae, Nature’s Variety, Oma’s Pride, Wellness, Castor & Pollux Pet Works, Holistic Select and Best Breed all export to distributors in Hong Kong.

Pet Food Safety

More pet owners call for China chicken jerky dog treat recall

An increasing number of pet owners are speaking out on the Internet, calling for the government to force a recall of chicken jerky dog treats from China that have been reportedly causing illness and even death in some pets that consume the treats, according to Food Safety News. The US Food and Drug Administration tested the treats but has not confirmed a link between the chicken jerky treats from China and the pet illnesses being reported by owners, yet owners and lawmakers continue to call for further investigation and FDA's recall of the product.

Pet insurance company lists top pet poisoning causes of 2011

According to the North American Pet Health Association, more than 100,000 cases of pet poisoning were reported in the US in 2011. Embrace Pet Insurance looked into its claims database to find the top causes of pet poisoning in dogs and cats in 2011: chocolate, raisins, mushrooms, xylitol sweetener and grapes.

Pet Food Market

Report on Global Pet Expo 2012

Last week was the largest Global Pet Expo ever -- at least according to the organizer, the American Pet Products Association. A few people I talked with on the show floor seemed skeptical of that claim; nevertheless, APPA president Bob Vetere said this year's show had the most booths, exhibitors, retailers and media.

Food safety company to hold mycotoxin webinar March 8

Food safety certification and testing company SGS will hold a webinar about mycotoxins on Thursday, March 8, at 10 a.m. CT. The 90-minute webinar will review the impact that field and storage fungi has on seed quality and the fungi-germination interaction model, as well as common detection methods and quantification of mycotoxins.

Compy petfood allegedly linked to kidney failure in Spain pets

Spanish petfood brand Compy has removed its products from some Mercadona supermarket shelves in Spain after complaints that the petfood is allegedly linked to kidney failure in pets, according to a report. The petfood products are being tested by Compy's technicians to determine whether or not the petfood is connected to the kidney failure reports in dogs.

Team meets to discuss petfood safety at GFSI conference

Members of a food safety validation team met at the 2012 edition of the Global Food Safety Initiative's Global Food Safety Conference, February 14-17, in Orlando, Florida, USA, to give a presentation on food safety of low-moisture foods, including petfood. The Food Safety Validation team presented to the GFSI board, including representatives from Yum! Brands, Walmart, petfood manufacturer Cargill, Danone, Kroger, COFCO Corp. (China), Tyson Foods and others.

Interzoo cautions exhibitors of EU petfood importation requirements

Interzoo show organizers are encouraging exhibitors for the pet product show to check in well ahead of the May event to ensure the petfood from their country is allowed to be imported into the EU and Germany and avoid problems with Border Inspection Posts. According to show organizers, in principle, food for pets and ornamental fish that contains animal by-products may only be imported from third countries that meet requirements of the valid version of Chapter II Section 1, Table 2, No. 12 of Regulation (EC) 142/2011.

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