Pet Food and Treat Safety: It’s Time for Facts, Not Fearmongering
“Pet food recalls are proof there is something wrong in the pet food industry.” This is just one of the falsehoods perpetuated online and across social media that unduly undermines customer confidence in commercial pet food and treats.
As the voice of the U.S. pet food and treat industry, the Pet Food Institute (PFI) is talking about the manufacturing process, the regulatory environment and the companies that feed America’s dogs and cats. It’s important and our responsibility to provide those facts.
A recall, whether for a human food or for a pet food or treat, removes a product from the marketplace and is an integral part of the current U.S. food safety system. For PFI members, it’s also inherent in their food safety plans, which are designed to drive continuous improvement in the safety of ingredients and finished products.
In this regard, the 2007 pet food recalls resulted in a marked change for PFI and its members. Pet food ingredient makers in China added melamine to wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate in an effort to mislead their customers about the ingredient protein levels. Tragedy resulted—an untold number of pets became sick or died. Such intentional adulteration for economic gain was unprecedented in the food industry at the time.
While PFI members had existing safety plans in operation and recalled impacted products even before the cause of illness, a combination of melamine and cyanuric acid, was identified, PFI established a Pet Food Commission of experts in nutrition, veterinary medicine and chemistry to study the findings related to the recalls and make recommendations to the manufacturing, regulatory and veterinary communities. PFI members began to adopt the commission’s recommendations for pet food makers:
• Update quality assurance programs to incorporate best product safety practices throughout the manufacturing and distribution process, including ingredient sourcing and receiving
• Reevaluate sampling and testing protocols
• Strengthen traceability to include lot and date codes on finished products
These actions are now built into our culture of safety and are required under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Safety Is the Priority
PFI members make 98 percent of U.S. dog and cat food and treats. Their preventive, forward-looking food safety systems support pet food safety daily.
Today’s pet food safety programs must be prevention-based and employ practices such as applying advances in technology, adhering to strict testing protocols, practicing zero tolerance for the presence of Salmonella and continuous monitoring throughout the manufacturing process to ensure the safest possible food products are being consumed by the 180 million pet dogs and cats across the country who live in nearly two-thirds of U.S. households.
Pet food shoppers find an array of choices when selecting food, treats or chews: dry (kibble), wet (canned), semimoist, fresh, dehydrated, freeze-dried and raw-infused. For PFI members, the safety and nutrition of these products is the top priority.
This year, PFI is telling the story of how pet food is made to convey the breadth and rigor of pet food safety practices. It starts with reliable suppliers. PFI members ensure that companies supplying their pet food ingredients are regularly inspected. These inspections can include reviews of suppliers’ quality control procedures and their adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), safety principles and processes consistent with Hazard Analyses. Even after suppliers are approved, ingredients are scrutinized upon arrival at a manufacturer’s facility against the manufacturer’s specifications.
Ingredients can arrive at the pet food facility in several ways. Some grains and ingredients are shipped in bulk via rail car, some ingredients arrive bagged (meals, vitamin and mineral premixes) and oils are shipped in tanker trucks or drums. Meat, poultry and fish are usually transported in refrigerated trucks.
Upon arrival, ingredients are assessed for a series of requirements, as appropriate. For example:
• Confirmation of safe handling during transportation by inspecting the integrity of container seals and cleanliness of the hopper
• Verification that the tanker truck was cleaned prior to loading, that proper temperature control was maintained, and that an inspection for the unintended presence of materials such as metals was performed
• Ensuring compliance with nutrient and grading specifications such as protein, moisture and fat content, checking for antioxidant levels and for the presence of bacteria, spoilage, infestation and toxins
Pet food manufacturing facilities are designed with safety in mind, to prevent product contamination and maximize security. Hygienic design may include use of stainless steel manufacturing equipment; installation of handwashing stations and foot baths; positive airflow and mandatory walking patterns; protective coatings on floors and walls to enable sanitization; and security of the facility perimeter, internal areas, equipment and ingredients. Safety continues throughout the manufacturing process. A sample manufacturing process may include:
• Verification that proper temperature, pressure and pH are maintained
• Environmental testing in the facility for the presence of bacteria
• Metal detection and X-ray inspection for metals, plastics and other unwanted materials
• Verification of correct equipment setup and function
• Confirmation that the correct product size, shape, color and protein, fat and moisture levels are being produced
• Sanitization of equipment before the manufacture of a different product begins
Regular testing and inspection continue through packaging and distribution, before the food arrives at the store shelf.
Examples of these measures include:
• Verification that the proper mix of product is dispensed into the proper package, at the correct weight
• Verification of the correct barcodes and date codes for product traceability
• Review of integrity of containers, equipment and packaging
• Verification of the package/container seal integrity
• Environmental bacteria testing
• Testing the product to confirm the guaranteed analysis
• pH testing
• Checking for the presence of unwanted moisture or condensation
• Reviewing quality factors, such as product consistency
• Confirmation that the proper shipping conditions will be maintained