Pet Food Processing - September 2024 - 51

REGULATORY
the cost of
compliance
P
Pet Food Compliance offers processors the
necessary tools to get products to market.
By Jordan Tyler | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com
Pet food, treats and supplements are monitored for
food safety and regulatory compliance on several levels.
While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces
food safety at the federal level and the Association
of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) provides
guidance on which ingredients at what recommended
levels can be included in formulations, state-level regulations
are often the biggest headache for companies
looking to distribute product across the nation.
The process of getting pet food and treat products
registered and labels audited for just a few states can be
daunting in terms of both time and money - let alone
handling the paperwork for all 50 states. This is because
there is no single avenue for registering or licensing pet
food products in all 50 states; while there are similarities
across the board, each state has its own set of rules,
regulations and processes for gathering information for
product registrations and label audits.
Regardless of the hassle, there are serious consequences
if these processes aren't properly handled and maintained,
warned Deven Wisner, co-founder and chief executive officer
of Pet Food Compliance, Tucson, Ariz.
" Compliance is less about ROI - it's the cost of not
doing it that gets people in trouble, " Wisner said. " There
is some sticker shock that comes with all these steps, and
the time and money associated with compliance. "
The stakes are high; not only could an incident of misregistration
or mislabeling cause confusion and frustration
for pet owners, but it could result in negative pet
health outcomes, regulatory fines and fees, and reflect
poorly on the brand or manufacturer behind the product.
" One of the big things, in addition to making sure
you're not putting something unsafe on the market, is
ensuring you aren't hurting your brand's reputation -
both with pet owners and retail partners, " Wisner said.
Additionally, labor shortages and a shifting workforce
mean the employees who have been handling compliance
are now retiring, not to mention an already high
turnover in this area of business.
" When that person retires, the task typically gets put on
the backburner for months, and by the time they come to
us it's lapsed - that means a lot of late fees and potential
penalties, " Wisner added. " All that's to say, there are
several opportunities for these processes to become really
costly in fees and burdensome in terms of time. "
Luckily for pet nutrition brands and manufacturers,
Pet Food Compliance offers a tailor-made solution to help
companies navigate the full-time job of compliance. The
firm serves as a central partner helping brands address
compliance-related hurdles and challenges so they can focus
on what they do best - keeping pets full and healthy.
Partners in compliance
Pet Food Compliance is an animal nutrition-focused
spinoff of Global Registration Services and American
Law Label, both of which provide compliance assistance
to companies in the stuffed goods industries.
The idea to extrapolate these services specifically for
the pet nutrition industry originally arose through a
conversation with Walmart, who was seeking a solution
to support its vendors in this space. The concept was
to create a platform that could help brands and retailwww.petfoodprocessing.net
| September 2024 | PET FOOD PROCESSING 51
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Pet Food Processing - September 2024

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