RECALL: Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats recalled for Salmonella

The company has recalled about 200 bags of the jerky treats. The recalled product was manufactured and distributed between September 20, 2014, and January 2, 2015, without any lot codes.

Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs, made by Grill-Phoria L.L.C. of Loveland, Colorado, USA, has tested positive for Salmonella after routine testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.


The company has recalled about 200 bags of the jerky treats. The recalled product was manufactured and distributed between September 20, 2014, and January 2, 2015, without any lot codes.
No illnesses have been associated with the recalled treats.
Grill-Phoria said it has stopped production and distribution of the treats while it investigates what caused the positive test results.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled treats are urged to return the product to the store from which it was purchased and request a full refund.
Big Bark All Natural Beef Jerky Treats for Dogs were distributed in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma through Nor-Sky Pet Supply L.L.C. through independent pet stores. The product is under the Big Bark label and is in a stand-up pouch that is 3.5 oz. in weight and labeled as All Natural Beef Jerky Treat.
Pets affected by Salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have decreased appetite and abdominal pain.

Corman Bag, Sacchettificio Nazionale G. Corazza form partnership

Massachusetts-based Corman Bag Company has announced a collaboration with Sacchettificio Nazionale G. Corazza s.p.a. (Corazza Sacks), a European manufacturer of laminated plastic and paper petfood bags. The partnership makes Corazza's products available in the US.
Corazza can manufacture a full range of specialty bags with multilayer films, metalized PET, foil or PVDC. Features include bags with side handles, zippers, open and closed sliders, and many more options.

Petfood entrepreneur invests informer UK plant site

Roger Skinner, of dog food manufacturers Roger Skinner Ltd. in Stradbroke, England, UK, has purchased the 12-acre former site of Tenza Technologies in Saxmundham with plans to regenerate the area. Tenza went into administration in November 2014 and more than 70 people lost their jobs.

"What I have tried to do is to try and make sure we get people back to work," said Skinner. He initially purchased two industrial units from Tenza in 2006, where he operates Salter Pet Nutrition and Skinner Salter Partnership. On November 21, 2014, he completed the purchase of the Carlton Park site housing Tenza, but the company went into administration at the same time and he lost his tenants. Skinner said he plans to bring employment back to the buildings that housed Tenza, and so far has attracted two companies—Frimpeks, a Turkish firm, and Ryco, of Ireland—providing around 15 jobs, which are due to take up occupation by February. He hopes to find other tenants to occupy other parts of the site and says he has interest from various other parties.
Skinner said he hopes to become an incubator for new business. “There are more and more houses being built, but no jobs,” he said. “The idea is I can create a business park for start-ups. At the end of the day, it’s about creating employment.”

Global Pet Foods collecting donations for animal shelters

Canada-based Global Pet Foods, Natural Balance and Wilson will be collecting donations at Global Pet Foods locations from Jan. 31 through Feb. 14, 2015 as part of the annual "Show Your Heart" campaign. All proceeds will be donated to local pet shelters and groups. Global Pet Foods will match the first dollar of every in-store donation, and donations can also be made online at www.globalpetfoods.com.

“Small donations add up and make a big difference to smaller community-based groups who can use the funds to cover expenses for veterinary care, buy food or just keep the lights on,” said Jim Walker, president of Global Pet Foods. 

Spectrum Brands Holdings buys Salix Animal Health

Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. has acquired Salix Animal Health LLC , the producer of Healthy-Hide and Digest-eeze rawhide dog treats with annual revenues of about US$100 million. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.
"Salix will ... diversify our pet segment's position in rawhide dog treats, which is a fast-growing pet sub-category with estimated annual global retail sales of US$2 billion," said Dave Lumley, chief executive officer of Spectrum Brands. The company's global pet business includes IAMS and Eukanuba petfood, Tetra fish food, and Nature's Miracle clean-up products.
Salix's manufacturing plants in Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Colombia produce branded and private label rawhide chews made from beef hides, pork, chicken, beef and other proteins. They are sold to mass merchandisers, grocery stores, pet specialty stores and warehouse clubs.
"Salix is an excellent opportunity for us in a number of ways, including the ability to expand our strong Dingo dog treats business with complementary product offerings, enhance our intellectual property and innovation with the Digest-eeze enzyme technology, and provide an improved vertically integrated sourcing model in the Americas," said David Maura, chairman of the board of Spectrum Brands Holdings.

FreshPet sees more retailers carrying products, says CEO

Roughly 35,000 major US retailer stores are looking to stock FreshPet's fresh petfood, according to company CEO Richard Thompson, as FreshPet continues to benefit from the ongoing pet humanization trend.

"We're a very young company with a lot of runway in a very involved category," said Thompson. People are becoming more willing to spend on their pets, which is good news for specialty petfood manufacturers like FreshPet. In December 2014, the company announced revenue of US$22.5 million for the quarter, up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Solid Gold Pet donates US$500,000 in premium petfood

Solid Gold Pet has partnered with Petco to donate an estimated US$500,000 of premium petfood to selected charities across the US. The partnership kicked off at the beginning of January 2015.

"We strongly believe in the benefits of good pet nutrition for all pets and are proud to partner with a leading specialty pet retailer like Petco to help make a difference to dogs and cats in need," said Michelle Higdon, CEO of Solid Gold Pet. "We know that great nutrition makes all of the difference in the world to a pet's quality of life. We call this bringing out their Inner Gold."