Pet Food Processing - May 2023 - 8

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Blue Buffalo breaks ground on
Indiana plant expansion
Blue Buffalo broke ground on an expansion of its pet food facility in
Richmond, Ind. The company plans to invest $200 million over the
next two years to add 169,000 square feet of processing and warehouse
capacity to the plant.
" General Mills and Blue Buffalo are helping drive Richmond's
economy forward, investing in the East Central region and providing
quality career opportunities for Hoosiers, " said Bradley B. Chambers,
secretary of commerce for the state of Indiana. " The company is making
a change economically while being a good corporate citizen, making
changes and fulfilling global responsibility commitments to better
our planet, people, community and food. "
The expanded facility will increase the plant's footprint by more
than 40%, adding another extrusion line, three packaging lines and a
mix-and-transfer system, according to the company.
APHIS MOVES TO PROTECT ANIMAL
FEED, PET FOOD EXPORTS
The USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) released an updated
Veterinary Services 16-4 form, addressing
concerns about US animal food manufacturers
being barred from exporting products
amid animal disease outbreaks. The
American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)
expressed its support of the update, claiming
that it helps protect processors' abilities to export
animal-based products.
" The VS 16-4 form has been one of
those issues that keeps me up at night, " said
Constance Cullman, president and chief executive
officer of the AFIA. " Our ability to
export animal-based products is a top priority
for the AFIA and we very much appreciate
APHIS for taking our call to action seriously. "
The previous VS 16-4 form stated that
Natural Balance, Canidae sign merger agreement
Natural Balance and Canidae Pet Foods entered into a definitive
merger agreement to combine the two companies.
As part of the transaction, L Catterton, a consumer-focused investment
firm and majority shareholder of Canidae, and investment firm
Nexus Capital Management, majority shareholder of Natural Balance,
are each contributing new growth capital to support the merger.
" Both Canidae and Natural Balance have rich legacies, solid brand
recognition, and strong consumer affinity, and this combination allows
us to build on the strengths of each company, " said Andrew
Taub, managing partner, and Matt Lischick, partner, at L Catterton.
" As a combined company, we will be able to streamline manufacturing
capabilities, invest in product innovation, and build on each company's
partnerships with key pet retailers. We are excited to leverage
our deep experience investing in the pet category to position our new
platform as a leading provider of premium pet food. "
Natural Balance offers premium dog food, cat food and treats and
Canidae specializes in premium dog and cat food products with an
emphasis on regenerative agriculture and sustainable operations. The
merger of the two companies will bring together a shared passion for
improving the wellbeing and lives of pets through premium nutrition.
8 PET FOOD PROCESSING | May 2023 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
" rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, classical
swine fever, swine vesicular disease,
African swine fever, and contagious bovine
pleuropneumonia do not exist in the United
States of America. " The update moves this
statement from the letterhead to the additional
declarations section, enabling APHIS
to strike a specific disease from the form in
real time without going through extensive review
processes.
" Without the update, chaos would have
ensued in the animal food marketplace, "
Cullman said. " For example, there should
be no reason for a poultry-based product to
not be able to be exported if the United States
has a swine-based foreign animal disease, but
that is what would have happened if APHIS
did not make this change. "
While the update certainly helps the animal
food industry, AFIA claims more work
needs to be done to fully protect animalbased
product exports.
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Pet Food Processing - May 2023

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