Safety & Quality: Page 140

Pet insurance company offers petfood and nutrition tips for consumers

Pet insurance company Petplan's online blog offers consumer guidelines on selecting a petfood, as cases of petfood contamination and recalls have become more frequent. A report from Packaged Facts predicted the sales of natural and organic petfoods to grow three times faster than regular petfoods through 2015, though the pet insurance company warns consumers that the two terms are not the same.

Pet Food Safety

Target petfood safety with process hardware

Petfood manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to modify existing facilities and processing lines to accommodate the safest petfood processes possible. But as the recent Nestlé Purina recall of dry cat food due to Salmonella contamination demonstrates, there are significant challenges in manufacturing, packaging and delivering these products in the supply chain.

Every aspect of the petfood facilityâ€”from product movement through the plant and contamination from outside sources to equipment designâ€”all require rethinking in light of recent FDA regulations, sanitary practices and GMPs.

FDA wants food-safety law funds in fiscal 2012 budget

The US Food and Drug Administration wants the US government's fiscal 2012 budget to include US$1.4 billion in funds for FDA's food-safety law that guides FDA regulation in cases of petfood contamination, according to Bloomberg.com. In June, the US House voted to cut FDA’s fiscal 2012 food-safety budget by 10% to US$752 million, which FDA says would slow progress of Food Safety Modernization Act implementation.

PFIA confirms South African dog deaths from aflatoxin contamination

The Pet Food Industry Association in South Africa confirmed that dog deaths continued into May, after three dog food brands were ordered to be removed from store shelves in April due to aflatoxin contamination, according to reports. The Department of Agriculture ordered the Hi Pro, Buddies and Legends petfood brands be removed from store shelves, following the initial deaths of 12 dogs in Gauteng, South Africa.

Pet Food Ingredients

New AAFCO website to help small petfood manufacturers

In the September 2010 issue of Petfood Industry, I briefly reported on the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ intent to launch a website designed particularly to help small manufacturers understand and comply with labeling and other state and federal regulatory requirements. The preview of the site at last year’s annual meeting met with tremendous applause from the audience.

â€˜The Business of Pet Foodâ€™ explains the need for product registration and/or company licensure at the state level and provides a table of basic state requirements as well as contact information and links for each state feed control office.

Philippines company charged with smuggling imported petfood

Smuggling charges were filed by the Bureau of Customs against a Philippines-based company accused of importing petfoods, as well as against its customs broker who is accused of gross undervaluation of the imported goods. Leoby C. Leonidas, owner of Honey Drops Marketing, and the company's customs broker, Isabelita C. Galera, were charged by the Department of Jusice for undervaluing Honey Drop's previous 15-month, P474.5 million (US$11 million), petfood importations by more than 80%.

Market Trends and Reports

Nestle issues dry cat food recall in US

Nestle Purina PetCare Co. recalled select bags of its Cat Chow and Friskies brands of dry cat food over concerns of Salmonella contamination. The food was shipped to distributors in Colorado, Idaho and Oregon, USA, and in turn, may have been distributed to other western states, according to the company.

AVMA issues alert for chicken jerky treats from China

In June, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association notified the American Veterinary Medical Association that CVMA had received reports of Fanconi syndrom-like symptoms in dogs, similar to those cases reported in 2007 by AVMA that were found to be associated with chicken jerky treats made in China. AVMA issued an alert to its members, recommending vigilance for any suspected cases in the US, as well as to state veterinary medical associations and allied organizations.

Video: 'Business Day with Terry Bradshaw’ includes segment on petfood safety

The cable TV show "Business Day with Terry Bradshaw" featured a segment on petfood safety in the June 18 episode. The petfood safety segment, sponsored by Extru-Tech Inc., discusses reasons why petfood safety is so important and covers measures being taken to ensure food safety, including the Food Safety and Modernization Act recently implemented by the US Food and Drug Administration.

AVMA publishes report on Salmonella in petfood

A report in the June 1 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association outlines recommendations for pet owners on how to avoid pets being sickened with Salmonella from petfood. The report, written by Kate S. KuKanich, DVM, Ph.D., details the circumstances under which Salmonella organisms are most often ingested and includes a history of Salmonella outbreaks associated with petfood and treats.

FDA unveils global food safety strategy

The US Food and Drug Administration unveiled its new global strategy for increasing food safety inspections under the Food Safety and Modernization Act. FDA's report, "Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality," outlines four main approaches the agency will take to better monitor foreign food suppliers.

Minnesota, USA, man faces charges for vegan petfood production

A Little Canada, Minnesota, USA, man faces 58 counts ranging from animal cruelty to practicing without a license after producing his own vegan petfood, according to a report by Minnesota's Fox news. Prosecutors served Eric Weisman with a warrant for the criminal charges on June 15.

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