New changes in the pet food manufacturing industry will, hopefully, improve the safety of your dog and cat's foods. Photo credit: jurvetson/Flickr.com
According to this article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), new preventive measures that have been proposed in the pet food manufacturing industry are aimed at improving the safety of pet foods.
In early April of 2012, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the Pet Food Institute (PFI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all came together in Schaumburg, IL for the Petfood Forum during which they discussed their
work to improve pet food safety. According to the JAVMA article,
“The American Feed Industry Association recently rolled out voluntary programs to certify that facilities that manufacture pet food or pet food ingredients meet certain safety standards. The Pet Food Institute is expanding model manufacturing principles that it developed after the melamine contamination. The FDA has begun to implement provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act that will impact pet food manufacturers.”
Leah Wilkinson, AFIA director of ingredients and state legislative affairs, third party certification programs, the Pet Food Manufacturing Facility Certification Program and the Pet Food Ingredient Facility Certification Program, are based on the principles of risk management. Offering audits for US- and Canadian-based manufacturers, these certification programs cover a variety of important areas, including hazard analysis, preventive controls, corrective actions, record retention, supplier standards, and safety specifications for ingredients and final products.
The Model Commercial Pet Food Manufacturing Principles was compiled by the members of the Pet Food Institute after the melamine scare. They are now working an expansion of those principles.
The Food Safety Modernization Act proposed by the FDA offers new preventive controls for manufacturers of pet foods as well as other animal feed manufacturers and human food manufacturers. The act also provides for the verification of foreign suppliers. According to Michael R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods,
“The rule on foreign suppliers will call for importers of food not to rely on FDA inspectors to detect problems at the port of entry but to verify that foreign suppliers produce the food in accordance with U.S. standards. The FDA will propose another rule by which the agency will recognize accrediting bodies for third-party certification programs in the international arena.”
While I think it is important to remember that this latest pet food recall resulting from Salmonella contamination is nothing like the melamine scare of 2007, it is still good to see that additional safety protocols and procedures are being put into place for the well-being of our pets as well as their human caretakers.
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About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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