KaNoodles dental chews earn pet business award

KaNoodles Premium Dental Chews for Dogs, by Vets Plus Inc., have been awarded the honor of a 2014 Pet Business Industry Recognition Award. The winners were selected by the editorial team of Pet Business and announced in the magazine’s December 2014 issue.

“We’re so excited to have received this award for the new KaNoodles chews," said Cherie Grandt, director of marketing at Vets Plus. "They’re a unique product—from the ingredients to the shape—and we’re excited about how the industry and pet parents are embracing the chews.”
KaNoodles Premium Dental Chews have a flexible shape with deep grooves that maximize contact with the tooth surface for a better clean. “As the dental category grows, pet parents have more options for convenient oral health care," said Grandt. "KaNoodles chews stand out because of their flexibility and digestibility.” The chews are made of an extruded pasta base that is completely digestible, so there’s no harm to the dog if swallowed. With zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber, KaNoodles chews help keep teeth and gums healthy while providing support for a strong immune system.
KaNoodles chews for dogs were launched in the USA and Canada in August 2014, and are available in four sizes for adult dogs small to extra-large.

RECALL: Barkworthies recalls dog chews on Salmonella concerns

Chicken Vittles dog chews recalled after routine testing by Colorado Department of Agriculture

Barkworthies of Richmond, Virginia, is recalling select lots of its Barkworthies Chicken Vittles dog chews because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.


The recalled product was distributed nationwide beginning on May 6, 2014. The product can be identified by the Lot Code printed on the back of the plastic pouch or on the bottom. This product is being recalled as it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella:
BARKWORTHIES CHICKEN VITTLES
Lot Code: 1254T1
Size: 16 oz. plastic pouch
Best Used by Date: May 2016
UPC: 816807011510
The recall was initiated after routine testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of Salmonella in a single lot of the product. No additional products are affected by this recall. The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with these products to date.
The recalled product should not be sold or fed to pets. For a full refund, pet owners should return all unused product to their place of purchase along with a completed Product Recall Claim Form available on the Barkworthies website.

Petfood Forum 2015 announces speakers, new schedule

Petfood Innovation Workshop: Next Generation Treats, which will take place April 27 in Kansas City, Kansas, USA, will include a field trip to a Food Innovation Accelerator Lab at nearby Kansas State University-Olathe. There, participants can practice product development of treats with several hands-on exercises using actual ingredients and processing techniques.

Sales of pet treats are growing 5% to 8% a year globally, with double-digit increases in some regions as pet owners around the world seek to pamper their pets yet still feed them wholesome, healthy snacks, including functional ingredients. Participants in the Petfood Innovation Workshop can learn about upcoming trends and new product ideas for this dynamic category, then engage in hands-on experimentation, making new types of treats at the Food Innovation Accelerator Lab.
Just about 30 minutes from the Kansas City Convention Center, this new Kansas State University (KSU) campus features a test kitchen where Greg Aldrich, PhD, Research Associate Professor at KSU and President of Pet Food Ingredients & Technology, will lead industry suppliers through helping petfood professionals create new bench-top, baked and molded treats.
Space for Petfood Innovation Workshop: Next Generation Treats is limited. Early bird registration savings are available through February 15, with additional savings for professionals also registering for Petfood Forum 2015.

Rondo Food invests in new administration building

Krefeld company Rondo Food has constructed a new building on its premises. With this development, the company has re-established itself for the future, according to Rondo Food.
Administration departments and sales for the whole of the company group are located at the Krefeld site, and all the central functions such as purchasing, financial accounting and human resources converge at this site. “In the past, there wasn’t a free desk and our capacities were all utilized,” said Managing Director Dirk Wellen. “Our old 1970s building hadn’t been sufficient to meet the demands that the modern working day places on our staff for some time. There was also a need for modernization in several areas; for example, window insulation and the IT infrastructure."
The company has invested US$4 million in a new, modern administration building that was completed in August 2014. After a 10-month building phase, the three managing directors and all staff were able to move into the new building. In the new building there are only a few individual offices, allowing for more open-plan offices with zones for working together to realize more intensive communication and teamwork, according to the company.
The new administration wing has been constructed in front of the old building. In a second building phase the existing old building will be disassembled and a new two-story building will be built in its place. The new home for some members of staff, for example from the purchasing and sales services departments, will be in that new building. Additional social rooms will be constructed in the then available free areas. All of the departments closely linked with production, such as product development and quality assurance, that were previously located in a different area on the premises, are now under one roof. All building work should be completed in the spring of 2015.

Vital Essentials announces 2015 resolution focusing on pet health

Vital Essentials has announced its 2015 resolution—to encourage American pet parents to feed healthier diets. Throughout 2015, Vital Essentials is planning a number of events to call attention to its Alpha prey-model diet, which the company touts as a healthier way to feed dogs and cats.

“Most Americans are typically more health conscious during January,” said Lanny Viegut, Vital Essentials CEO. “We want them to think about a healthier lifestyle for the entire family, including their dogs and cats.” To kick off the new year, Vital Essentials will be promoting three of the top-selling Purely RAW frozen entrées in support of its Feed Healthycampaign at independent pet specialty retail stores throughout the US. These entrées will be marked with a “Special Price” tag on packages.

NGFA seeks to change proposed rule on petfood, animal feed

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) during a recent public meeting urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make significant changes to its proposed rule that would establish for petfood and animal feed new requirements for current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls.
The FDA conducted the public meeting to receive stakeholder feedback on four major re-proposed rules associated with its implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The four re-proposed rules address produce safety, CGMPS and preventive controls for human food, CGMPs and preventive controls for petfood and animal feed, and foreign supplier verification programs.
The FDA issued the reproposed animal feed rule on Sept. 29, 2014 to provide the agency's current thinking on requirements after its review of comments received in response to its original proposal issued in 2013. The NGFA submitted extensive comments on the 2013 proposal, and recommended that FDA make major changes and re-propose the rule for additional stakeholder comment given the very significant nature of the regulations, and the extent of changes recommended by the NGFA and other stakeholders.
During the public meeting, Max Fisher, NGFA director of economics and government relations, said he commended FDA for re-proposing the rule and allowing additional comment. But Fisher said the NGFA remains concerned that "many of the proposed CGMP provisions continue to mirror those established for human food, and do not reflect the realities associated with feeding animals, nor are they necessary to assure the safety of feed products."
In prior statements to FDA, the NGFA has urged the agency to develop final requirements that are practical, achievable and serve to benefit the safety of petfood and animal feed. In doing so, the NGFA has cautioned that adding unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs would undermine the industry's ability to serve the animal agriculture industry and divert finite resources away from effective practices that already are assuring a safe and abundant supply of petfood and feed.
"The NGFA requests that FDA carefully consider the economic impact of its proposed requirements and weigh the extensive costs against anticipated benefits, which the agency has yet to quantify," said Fisher. The NGFA's economic analysis of FDA's original proposal indicated the requirements would cost petfood and animal feed facilities more than US$500 million annually—approximately four times more than estimated by FDA.

Dimensioning a conveying system for bulk materials

When considering the installation of a new vacuum conveying system for the handling of granular bulk materials, there is a checklist of questions that need answering, according to Thomas Dahl, strategic sales OEM for the material handling division of Piab AB. The designer of the system will need the answers in order to dimension, design and assemble a system that suits the application.
1) What material?: The designer needs to know the bulk density of the material; i.e., how much it weighs in kilograms per liter (kg/l). It is also important to establish an approximate size for individual particles in the material, measured in micrometers (µm).
2) How clean?: In order to choose the right type of equipment for the conveying system, the designer also needs to know what their client requires in terms of cleanliness of the transported material.
3) How far?: Spatial data regarding the transportation system itself is also vital. The designer has to know how far the material needs to be transported.
4) What capacity?: The capacity, throughput, or flow rate of the system is next on the designer’s list of questions. The capacity is measured in tons per hour and, together with the respective vertical and horizontal distances, it provides the designer with a figure that is used to select a pump for the system.
5) Any risks?: To avoid dust explosions, specialized equipment may be required for materials prone to developing static electricity. Compliance with industrial standards included in regulations such as the EU ATEX Directive is an essential part of the design work.
6) Test it?: An experienced designer will have no problem dimensioning and building a vacuum-based conveying system for common materials. However, faced with unfamiliar materials or perhaps extreme spatial constraints, the designer may decide to test the system in-house before it is implemented at the client’s premises.
Having ticked off all the questions on the checklist, the designer is ready to set to work building a system fit for purpose. Furnished with all the necessary information regarding: the fluidity, bulk density, and particle size of the material; the horizontal and vertical distances in the available space; the desired capacity; any special requirements concerning cleanliness or potential risks; and results from a potential trial run, the designer can choose the right vacuum conveyor for the job.