FIAAP, Victam, GRAPAS Asia 2014 to be larger than 2012 shows

With still nearly six months until the event, FIAAP Asia, Victam Asia and GRAPAS Asia 2014 are already larger than in 2012, show organizers report. Currently the shows have almost 170 exhibitors from 22 countries. 
Members of the grain and feed industry will find halls with products and services to reduce energy consumption, increase productivity and profitability, enhance products, improve safety in the workplace and in end products, and more.
At FIAAP, the feed ingredient and additive exhibition, companies will display products that enable feed formulators and nutritionists to source more cost-effective and alternative-base ingredients for their feed formulations. The latest feed processing equipment and technologies will be displayed at Victam. Exhibitors will offer solutions to problems that you may be experiencing in your feed production plant. At the GRAPAS exhibition, rice millers, flour millers and grain processors will also find a range of equipment and services. 
FIAAP Asia, Victam Asia and GRAPAS Asia 2014 will be held at the BITEC exhibition center in Bangkok, Thailand, April 8-10, 2014.
The shows will also be held co-located with Petfood Forum Asia 2014. Petfood Forum Asia 2014 will feature industry experts sharing their knowledge and insights on pet nutrition and ingredients, the Asian and global petfood markets, new product development, petfood safety and production, and much more. Petfood Forum Asia will take place April 9, 2014, also at BIEC exhibition center.  

Biorigin to expand Brazil feed ingredients plant

Biorigin, Brazilian producer of natural ingredients for foods and animal feeds, began expansion of its unit located in Quatá, Brazil, aiming at doubling its production capacity in 2014.
The US$120 million investment to expand the plant includes plans for the Fermentation, Pure Culture, Autolysis and Drying sectors.
According to Mario Steinmetz, Biorigin's general director: "This investment will allow Biorigin to continue its process of sustainable growth in the market of food and feed ingredients, as well as to innovate in products and services, as we have done during the last 10 years.
"This expansion initiative was brought about by positive market perspectives and by health and wellness market trends of an increasing search for natural ingredients. Moreover, we have a production model that allows the traceability of the ingredients applied. In addition, we use renewable energy sources that supply the requirements of sustainability," said Steinmetz.

Alltech offers live streaming of International Symposium, May 19-22

Alltech's 29th Annual International Symposium is set to take place May 19-22 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. For those that are unable to attend in person, the event will have live-streaming and on-demand videos of select presentations, blog posts, photos and more daily on the Symposium Live! Web page. 
Sessions will be streamed live during the following times: 

• Monday, May 20: Opening Session at 9:00 a.m. ET, Press Conference at 11:30 a.m. ET
• Tuesday, May 21: The Food Session at 8:30 a.m. ET
• Wednesday, May 22: Closing Session at 9:00 a.m. ET
Resources will be made available in both English and Spanish.

Alltech Analytical Services Laboratory analyzes 1,000th feed sample

The Analytical Services Laboratory powered by Alltech, established in September 2012, recently processed their 1,000th feed sample. The lab, which utilizes LC-MS/MS analytical technology, has allowed Alltech to gain valuable insights into mycotoxin levels and trends globally.
“The most significant aspect of this milestone is the quality of data we have accumulated. Virtually 100 percent of the feed samples analyzed worldwide contain multiple mycotoxins. Individual mycotoxin levels detected by methods with less specificity and sensitivity than the technologies we use may not always identify the source of poor animal health,” said Steve Mobley, manager of the Analytical Services Laboratory.
Alltech’s 37+ Program provides a tailored, species-specific risk assessment of the expected impact on animal performance based on the mycotoxins that are found during analysis. It then recommends a mitigation strategy through balanced nutrition, feed management and the addition of functional carbohydrates.
“However, the cumulative, additive and/or synergistic effects of multiple mycotoxins in the diet, regardless of guideline or regulatory levels, can result in mycotoxicosis symptoms and detrimental erosion of animal productivity,” said Dr. Max Hawkins, Alltech Mycotoxin Management Team. “The need to detect and quantify multiple mycotoxins at low levels should be the industry’s key concern and, from the tremendous response to Alltech’s 37+ Program, I believe the industry is taking heed.”
An entire track will be dedicated to mycotoxins at GLIMPSE 2020: the 29th Annual Alltech International Symposium in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, May 19-22.

Dead dogs used as petfood fat, protein in Spain, reports say

A criminal gang in Spain reportedly used the bodies of dogs and other animals from animal sanctuaries, vets, zoos and farms to process as protein and fats that could be used in petfood and animal feed, according to laboratory tests of commercial petfood in Spain.
In 2012, Spanish police discovered a warehouse containing 15 metric tons of dead, stray dogs in the town of As Neves, Galicia, as well as similar warehouses in Northern Spain. Police believed the dead dogs were to be processed for use in animal feed.
Following the discovery, Guardia Civil's environmental branch, Seprona, sent samples of commercial petfood to Anfaco-Cecopesca laboratories in Spain. The lab's tests of fat samples intended for animal feed at one processing plant in Aldeaseca de la Frontera, Salamanca, found DNA traces of dog and sheep, reports say. 

AFIA applauds adoption of feed additive max residue limits

American Feed Industry Association president and CEO, Joel G. Newman, attended recent Codex Alimentarius Commission meetings in Rome, Italy, praising the adoption of scientifically-based maximum residue limits for the feed additive ractopamine as a testament to the commission's focus on food safety and science.
“AFIA applauds those nations that voted to uphold the core science-based principles of Codex," said Newman. "It was my pleasure to participate on the US Codex delegation. This vote, only the third in the 49-year history of Codex, was much bigger than ractopamine. It was about Codex committing to their well-established, science-based food safety principles and not letting individual countries use their legislative and/or social factors to impede the process.”

Plans for VICTAM, FIAAP Asia 2012 continue despite Thailand flooding

Preparations for FIAAP, VICTAM & GRAPAS Asia 2012 continue to progress, despite recent flooding in parts of Thailand, including Bangkok, show organizers say.

The situation seems to be improving with flood levels going down throughout Bangkok and the country of Thailand. The majority of Bangkok is flood-free and much of the above-ground transportation system is operating, as well as the underground railway, the BTS Skytrain and Bangkok's International Suvarnabhumi Airport. Downtown Bangkok, where the majority of the city’s hotels are situated, and BITEC, the exhibition venue, have also remained flood-free.

Show organizers, Victam International, expect the event to draw senior trade executives from throughout the animal feed and grain processing industries of south and southeast Asia. The exhibition is already 25% larger than the last event in 2010, including larger exhibitions, more product launches and more technical seminars. Some of the conferences at the event include Petfood Forum Asia 2012, FIAAP Asia Conference 2012, Biomass - Pellets Update Asia, Aquafeed Horizons Asia 2012, the Thai Feed Conference, and a GMP+ seminar on feed safety and sustainability.

The shows and conferences will open at BITEC on February 15-17, 2012. To register as a visitor for free or to see a list of all conferences and exhibitors, visit Victam's show website.

Animal feed expert contributions wanted for FIAAP Asia 2012

The animal feed industry is invited to submit presentations on advances in animal feed ingredients for the FIAAP Asia Conference 2012, which will take place in February alongside Victam Asia, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The FIAAP Asia Conference, which will be held February 16, 2012, focuses on animal feed ingredients and additives. FIAAP Asia invites expert presentation contributions, by September 1, 2012, in the following areas: feed formulation; nutrient requirements; traditional and novel protein sources; application of ingredients and feed additives for animal health and growth; and manipulation of finished animal product quality, optimizing available raw materials, food chain safety, environmental impact and physical pellet quality.
Along with this event, Petfood Forum Asia 2012 will take place February 16-17, for professionals in the petfood industry. This conference is also accepting expert abstract contributions until September 1, 2011.

AFIA files comments on FDA-proposed GRAS petfood rule

The American Feed Industry Association submitted comments to the US Food and Drug Administration regarding FDA’s final rule amending the procedures for substances generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine recently started to review GRAS submissions for new animal feed ingredients, while the human food industry has had hundreds reviewed and allowed on the market, according to AFIA.
“While the industry is still able to self-determine the GRAS status of a substance, it is in the best interest for all entities to work together. Finding a workable solution will ensure that the U.S. feed industry continues to be the world leader in bringing novel ingredients to market to help the animal agriculture industries safely feed the growing population,” said Leah Wilkinson, AFIA’s director of ingredients and state legislative affairs.
CVM stated during several public forums that proof of utility of an ingredient must be published. However, AFIA said it believes that an absolute requirement for proof and publication of utility is inappropriate and unnecessary, claiming the pivotal issue is whether the ingredient is safe to feed to animals at the intended level. AFIA also said CVM should accept safety data extrapolated from other species, instead of requiring separate tests for each species.
“The additional cost and time alone will deter companies from pursuing new feed ingredients or more efficient ways to produce existing feed ingredients regardless of the well-established safety of these ingredients. CVM should recognize that good scientific procedures can prevail to allow the use of other data or information in the available literature to extrapolate the safety data from one species to another,” Wilkinson said.
In the third main issue commented upon, AFIA said it believes GRAS-notified substances reviewed by FDA without objection need to be listed in the Association of American Feed Control Officials' Official Publication. In its comments, AFIA strongly encouraged CVM to work with AAFCO and the industry to create a new section in the AAFCO Official Publication for GRAS-notified substances reviewed by CVM and found to present a sufficient basis for a GRAS conclusion.

Inclusion of rendered products in petfoods should be re-evaluated, blog suggests

Allowing the use of rendered products in petfoods and animal feeds is still legal but should be reconsidered, suggests a veterinary blog on petmd.com.
The blog discusses US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) findings that are still in effect, allowing rendered products to be legally included in petfood and animal feed. In a 2004 report to Congress, National Renderers Association (NRA) estimated that 165 rendering plants in the US and Canada pick up materials like fat and bone trimmings, blood, feathers and dead animals from animal shelters, slaughterhouses and ranches.
To determine the amount of barbiturates, dog and cat carcasses that end up in rendered petfood ingredients, scientists purchased dog food samples as part of two studies in 1998 and 2000. The studies found that some of the dog foods contained pentobarbital -- a drug used to euthanize dogs and cats at shelters -- suggesting that the shelter pets were rendered and used in petfood. Scientists then tested the protein ingredients of the dog foods for presence of dog and cat DNA.
FDA's results found a complete absence of material that would have been derived from euthanized dogs or cats in the dog foods tested, suggesting pentobarbital residues enter petfoods from euthanized, rendered cattle or horses. The blog says that while these findings may have been correct at the time, FDA regulation of rendered products in petfoods should be reconsidered in today's society that is increasingly conscious of pet nutrition and the possibility of transmitted diseases.