GFSI recognizes BRC food safety standards

The Global Food Safety Initiative board of directors announced that the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 6 and BRC/IoP Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials Issue 4 have been benchmarked by GFSI and achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition.
BRC has been recognized against the following scopes:

• D Pre Processing Handling of Plant Products
• EI Processing of Animal Perishable Products
• EII Processing of Plant Perishable Products
• EIII Processing of Animal and Plant Perishable Products (Mixed Products)
• EIV Processing of Ambient Stable Products
• L Production of (Bio) Chemicals
• M Production of Food Packaging
Over the course of the re-benchmarking process, the requirements for food safety scheme ownership, management and supporting systems outlined in the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition were compared against the detailed documentation and objective evidence provided by BRC for each requirement in order to determine equivalence.
The re-benchmarking exercise against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition represented a significant change from the previous approach against the Fifth Edition, as the document was expanded to cover primary production, processing and supporting activities in a more thorough way, taking a scope-specific approach to eventually cover all parts of the food supply chain.

International Safe Feed/Safe Food nears launch

The international version of the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program is nearing implementation, according to the American Feed Industry Association, the creator and sponsor of the third-party-verified program that has run in the US since 2004 and has certified more than 350 livestock feed and ingredient facilities.
Representatives of the European Feed Additives and Premixtures Association, also known as FEFANA, recently met with AFIA in Arlington, Virginia, USA, to discuss details of the international version of the program.
The establishment of the International Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program was designed to help facilitate US trade with European feed and ingredient customers by providing a tool to illustrate compliance with the European Union’s feed hygiene regulation, Regulation (EC) 183/2005, which requires certification from the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system.

Analytical methods for melamine, triazine analogs

The following methods for detection of melamine/cyanuric acid were developed bythe Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Office of Regulatory Affairs.

GC-MS Screen for the Presence of Melamine, Ammeline, Ammelide and Cyanuric Acid (Version 2.1), May 16, 2007

GC-MS Method for Screening and Confirmation of Melamine and Related Analogs (Version 2), May 7, 2007

The FDA Field laboratories are using LC-MS/MS methods that are capable of determining melamine and cyanuric acid at levels of 0.25 ppm in powdered infant formula and other dairy-containing food products or ingredients. These and a GC/MS method for melamine and its analogues are:

*Melamine Methodology
*Determination of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid Residues in Infant Formula using LC-MS/MS
*Interim Method for Determination of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid Residues in Foods using LC-MS/MS
*GC/MS method for melamine and analogues

For more information, contact:
Jonathan Litzau, Forensic Chemistry Center (FCC), US FDA, +1.513.679.2700, ext. 268
Greg Mercer, Pacific Regional Laboratory – Northwest (PRL-NW), US FDA, +1.425.483.4755
Kevin Mulligan, +1.513.679.2700, ext. 238

Pet Food Conference in January 2010

The third annual Pet Food Conference organized by the American Feed Industry Association will be held January 26-27, 2010, at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The conference will focus on industry issues like petfood markets, salmonella control, state and federal inspections and ingredient approval.
Pre-registration for the conference is $35 or $60 at the door. More information and a registration link can be found at www.petfoodconference.com/2010PFC/index.cfm.

Supreme Pet Foods launches debate over industry standard

Supreme Pet Foods is seeking an industry standard to guarantee quality and consistency in the production, packaging and marketing of small animal petfood, according to a new report. The standard would define claims about nutritional content and commonly used marketing terms such as "complete," "complementary" and "beneficial fiber" and also standardize the implementation of quality process controls in the production of petfoods, according to Supreme.
The company has invited interested parties to contribute to the debate called “The Case for Quality.”
The manufacturer said problems like misleading package declarations and transparency in labeling of vegetarian foods for herbivores were discovered via tests. It has called for an industrywide agreement on the communication of dietary information such as sugar and fiber content.