Safety & Quality: Page 139

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.

Brand Insights

Plasma: A Multi-Faceted Ingredient Supporting Health, Formula Functionality, and Nutrition in Pet Food

APC Inc

Discover how plasma protein supports pet health, boosts palatability, and improves pet food functionality and processing performance in modern formulations.

Plasma: A Multi-Faceted Ingredient Supporting Health, Formula Functionality, and Nutrition in Pet Food

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.

Pet Food Safety

AIB International plans petfood manufacturers safety course in November

AIB International will hold a Food Safety and Sanitation for Petfood Manufacturers course, November 8-10, at the company's Manhattan, Kansas, USA, facilities. The petfood safety course allows participants to gain an understanding of legal requirements as a result of the Food Safety Modernization Act and Reportable Food Registry; recognize prerequisites necessary to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines; develop and implement HACCP food safety programs; identify and evaluate control methods for pests; recognize types of foreign material contamination, and equipment and methods for control of such contaminants; and identify microbiological issues relevant to a petfood facility.

Market Trends and Reports

Preview: Virtual Petfood Forum 2011

If you need to know more about petfood safety, especially how the new Food Safety Modernization Act will affect petfood regulations, be sure to sign up for Virtual Petfood Forum 2011, taking place live online, Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Under the new FSMA law, petfood will fall under much of the same regulations and scrutiny as human foods.

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.

Former FDA member challenges FSMA petfood regulations

According to Benjamin England, founder and CEO of FDAImports.com, food importers and foreign manufacturers are in for a surprise starting October 1, when a provision of the Food Safety Modernization Act becomes effective requiring the US Food and Drug Administration collect a fee for costs associated with re-inspection of imported food shipments. England is currently launching a coalition of interested manufacturers and food importers to challenge FDA’s broad interpretation of this FSMA provision.

AAFCO unveils petfood regulation website

The Association of American Feed Control Officials unveiled its new website, “The Business of Pet Food," which was developed to address frequently asked questions about US petfood regulatory requirements. The site, www.petfood.aafco.org, includes explanations and links to resources from the states and US government with information about registration and licensing, ingredient listing, labeling requirements and laboratories and analyses.

Importer, consumer costs expected to increase with new FDA fees

In August, the US Food and Drug Administration announced plans to implement “re-examination” fees under the recently enacted Food Safety Modernization Act from importers who fail to comply with requirements materially related to food safety. Set to go into effect on October 1, the new fee structure will create additional costs and fees for both importers and consumers, according to Benjamin England, CEO of FDAImports.com and a former FDA employee.

Pet Food Safety

At Walmart, petfood safety equals behavior

Food safety is no small enterprise. As Frank Yiannas, VP of food safety for Walmart, describes, thousands of professionals around the world have been trained, millions are spent on research, countless inspections are done at home and abroad—and yet, food safety remains a significant global health challenge.

Frank Yiannas, VP of food safety for Walmart (with Tippy), believes that enhancing food safety benefits all petfood manufacturers, retailers, customers and, most importantly, pets.

Contaminated petfood may sicken pets, humans, veterinarian warns

In the last few years, an increasing number of petfoods and pet treats have been recalled due to Salmonella contamination concerns, showing it is not just human food that is subject to food poisoning. In a New York Times article, a veterinarian at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that petfood contaminated with Salmonella can sicken not only pets that consume it but also humans that handle the petfood.

Page 139 of 155