Pet Food Safety: Page 87

Market Trends and Reports

Preview: Petfood Forum Asia 2012

Petfood sales in Asia grew 4% in 2010, about the same growth rate as the global petfood market, according to Euromonitor International. While that rate represents a slowdown from previously robust increases, growth has been steady in Asia, no small feat after several years of a stagnant or declining global economy.

Petfood Forum Asia 2012 will take place February 16 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Thailand.

New ISO standard on traceability of fish products to improve food safety

A new ISO standard on the traceability of finfish products, ingredients often used in dog and cat food formulas, is expected to improve food safety by supplying stakeholders throughout the supply chain with accurate information about the origin and nature of these products. The new standard, ISO 12875:2011, Traceability of finfish products - Specification on the information to be recorded in captured finfish distribution chains, specifies the information to be recorded in marine-captured finfish supply chains in order to establish traceability.

NASC Adverse-Event Reporting System minimizes pet, human contamination risks

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a recall on October 6 for Salmonella contamination in Thumb Oilseed’s soy flour, which is used to manufacture certain animal foods. But, the National Animal Supplement Council's ability to scan thousands of products and ingredients in its NASC Adverse-Event Reporting System allowed NASC to identify 27 products containing soy flour and notify the eight companies selling these products with specific instructions on how to check the ingredient with raw material suppliers.

Pet Food Market

Does consumers' willingness to pay for improved food safety apply to petfood?

A recent study by Kevin Haninger and James Hammitt of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis shows US consumers would be willing to spend US$4,500-6,000 to prevent each case of short-term illness caused by contaminated food. Reported in the October edition of FSMeDigest from Food Safety Magazine, the study started with the seemingly simple goal of examining the "monetary value that consumers place on a safer food supply," the authors wrote.

FDA deputy commissioner to speak at Petfood Forum 2012

Michael R. Taylor, JD, deputy commissioner of foods for the US Food and Drug Administration, has been confirmed as a main speaker for Petfood Forum 2012. With responsibility for the safety of all food in the US, Taylor is spearheading implementation of the new Food Safety Modernization Act and will address how petfood safety fits into the overall food safety picture, plus similarities and differences between human food and petfood safety.

Pet Food Market

Virtual Petfood Forum: All you need to know about FSMA and petfood safety -- and it's free

The US Food and Drug Administration is working hard -- and partnering with both the human food and petfood industries -- to meet deadlines and develop regulations and policies in adherence to the Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in January 2011. The new regulations and rules will include ones encompassing petfood, some for the first time, and the law's deadlines mean many will go into effect within the next year or so.

Eurofins to host Environmental Monitoring Workshop for petfood manufacturers

Eurofins will host an Environmental Monitoring Workshop for petfood and feed manufacturers on Tuesday, November 8, at the Hyatt O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, USA. The workshop will cover ways to mitigate environmental risks like pathogens through improving environmental monitoring systems.

AP finds US government food counter-terrorism programs have failed

An Associated Press analysis found that the government has spent more than US$3.4 billion on food counter-terrorism over the past decade, but key programs have been slowed in the government. A Senate subcommittee recently held a hearing to examine a congressional watchdog's new report that reveals federal setbacks in protecting cattle and crops since September 11, 2001.

Institute of Food Technologists leads pilot food traceability programs

The Institute of Food Technologists will lead two pilot programs for the US Food and Drug Administration designed to test and study various food product tracing systems. The purpose of the pilots is to identify methods to rapidly and effectively trace food products throughout the supply chain, so that products can be quickly identified and removed from the marketplace during a food-related outbreak to minimize the number of consumers affected.

EtQ to present GFSI compliance, quality management system webinar

Software provider EtQ will present a webinar, “GFSI Compliance and the Integrated Quality Management System,” on Monday, September 19 at 1 p.m. EDT. This webinar will be led by EtQ’s Tom Barlow, and will look into the challenges faced when creating a holistic solution through the integration and consolidation of business systems.

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.

FDA may get US$50 million for food safety from US Senate

The US Food and Drug Administration may receive additional funding when the 2012 fiscal year starts October 1, 2011, as the Senate Appropriations Committee considers a bill that sets the organization's spending limit, according to reports. The report says the Senate's version of the budget bill would allocate approximately US$350 million more than the appropriations bill passed in the House in June.

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