PFI develops model for safe petfood manufacturing

The Pet Food Institute (PFI), the trade association for many US petfood companies, recently released a set of model principles for its members, intended to provide guidance for safe manufacture of petfood products.
The “Model Commercial Pet Food Manufacturing Principles” were developed by PFI members over a period of one and a half years. Their efforts originated from the recommendations of the National Pet Food Commission, which PFI formed after the 2007 US petfood recalls.
PFI’s Product Safety Subcommittee, chaired by Jerry May of P&G Pet Care, developed the model principles, along with a “Model Salmonella Control System for Non-Hermetically Sealed Products.”
“The PFI board proactively addressed changing consumer attitudes on food safety by developing these documents for one of the most highly regulated of all food products: petfood,” says Duane Ekedahl, president of PFI. “These documents are the product of a careful assessment of industry practices and are intended to provide added assurance of the safety of petfood products.”
The model principles cover various aspect of product manufacturing including:
*Emergency preparedness;
*Plant security;
*Sourcing of materials;
*Processing;
*Sanitation;
*Storage and distribution;
*Training;
*Consumer relations; and
*Record keeping.
The principals are intended to be flexible and considered as guidance only, PFI says. Their application is voluntary and will differ according to the size, nature and complexity of the organization involved.
The model Salmonella control system is a practical expansion of the model principles and could be expanded for other specific pathogens, according to PFI.