PET Food Processing - September 2019 - 9

TRENDS

COMPLIANCE
retooling

A look at how pet food processors have
adapted to new compliance regulations.

By Keith Loria | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com

W

With an increased focus on pet food as part of the recent Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations, manufacturers are assessing all safety and quality
measures, including the risk of contamination by foreign
material, proper declaration of weights and detailed
label information.
"This assessment oftentimes results in identification
of deficiencies in how they are controlling and preventing issues in quality and safety," says Robert Rogers, senior advisor, food safety and regulation, Mettler Toledo
Product Inspection Group, Lutz, Florida. "We are seeing
an increased utilization of product inspection systems to
address these concerns and improve the processes."
Earlier this year, a deployment specialist from
Georgia-based Nexcor Food Safety Technologies was
at the manufacturing facility of a well-known pet food
brand. He described it as "cleaner and more organized
than almost any other food plant that he's been in" and
noted that had they not produced dog food, he'd eat
anything that came from there. "In recent times this has
become more the rule rather than the exception," says
Nexcor President Robert Burgh. "While most facilities have always produced safe, high-quality products,
increasing regulations have given food safety teams an
equal place at the corporate table, particularly in detailing how to protect the brand."
Nick Treblik, business operations director, Cargill Feed

& Nutrition, US, Wayzata, Minnesota, says he's seeing
standards being raised across the industry. "Cargill has
long had rigorous expectations around safety and risk
management for all employees, no matter whether we
work in sales, production, administration or another capacity," he says. "Today, those internal expectations have
become a requirement for the entire industry. The new
compliance regulations dictate to everyone working in pet
food production that, hey, it doesn't matter what your role
is, you must know how to produce things safely."
Brian Wood, director, HydriPet Ingredient and
Sanitation Solutions, Brookfield, Wisconsin, says pet food
is now regulated the same as human food with the exception of allergens, but processors are addressing consumer
concerns despite no actual requirement. "Some of this
has led to new equipment designs, physical alteration of
plant layouts and in some cases, the need for a new facility
because the design of the building and/or process cannot
be altered to meet today's regulations," he says.

Company-wide
investment in a food
safety plan, proper
employee education and training,
and adaptability for
increasingly strict
regulations are
important parts of
ensuring continued
compliance.
©auremar - stock.adobe.com

Production evolution

As new compliance regulations have come along,
Burgh says documentation has seen the largest change.
"Regulations require that everything that affects or intends
to affect food safety must be documented," he says. "This is
a modern, big change for many companies. Protocols have
also changed. Protocols like the usage of hairnets may not

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PET Food Processing - September 2019

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