Topeka to provide incentives to Big Heart for plant expansion

The Joint Economic Development Organization of Topeka, Kansas, USA, voted unanimously on February 11 to approve “Project Blue Sky,” which will offer incentives of up to US$166,760 to Big Heart Pet Brands to expand its petfood production plant in the city.

The expansion of the plant, which manufactures Meow Mix, Gravy Train, Milk-Bone Brushing Chews and 9Lives brands, is expected to cost as much as US$42.3 million, according to a report.
The expansion would add a 70,000-square-foot packaging plant. Big Heart says expansion and renovation would enable it to retain 20 jobs it otherwise would likely lose, and to hire eight to 12 new employees.
The incentive measure allows Big Heart to receive an incentive based on the amount it invests into the facility, with the maximum incentive being US$84,760 for an investment of US$42.3 million or more. The measure also allows Big Heart to receive incentives of up to US$82,000 for retaining and adding positions.
This month, the J.M. Smucker Company (Smucker's) announced that it would acquire Big Heart Pet Brands for US$5.8 billion, including US$2.6 billion of net debt. The purchase marks Smucker's entrance into the petfood and snacks category and expands its overall presence in consumer packaged goods. The acquisition will provide Smucker's greater scale and strategic balance to its current portfolio while positioning it for continued growth, according to the company. Under the terms of the agreement, Smucker's will acquire all of the outstanding equity of Big Heart Pet Brands.

De Haan Petfood restarts production at Netherlands facility after explosion

Wet petfood manufacturer De Haan Petfood has successfully restarted production of petfood at its facility in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands, after an explosion on May 7 caused severe damage to the production line. In recent weeks, the damaged part of the line has been rebuilt and tested, allowing production to begin.
Production was temporarily stopped at the facility following an explosion in one of the retorts, in which under-pressure cans are sterilized. Shortly after, De Haan Petfood relocated part of its production to other petfood manufacturers in the Netherlands and Europe. 

Merrick Pet Care petfood facility earns SQF Level 3 certification

Merrick Pet Care's 195,000-square-foot petfood production facility in Hereford, Texas, USA, earned the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 certification, signifying Merrick completed a stringent food safety auditing process and verifies that their facilities are in compliance with Certified Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety plans.
The SQF Level 3 certification is administered by the Safe Quality Food Institute, a division of the Food Marketing Institute. It focuses on food safety and quality-management systems and is recognized as a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmark.  
"Receiving this certification validates our comprehensive food safety management system," said William Slaughter, director of quality and safety. "We believe being SQF Level 3 certified will continue to increase our customer's confidence in our food safety practices and increase market opportunities to further build our business and our portfolio of natural and organic petfood brands."
In 2012, Merrick's facilities also became organic certified for manufacturing both dry and canned petfood for pets under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program.

United Petfood Producers acquires two new dry petfood production facilities

United Petfood Producers acquired two facilities owned by Continentale Nutrition used in manufacturing dry petfood and treats.
The company purchased the factories to strengthen its business and continue its France-based manufacturing operations. United Petfood plans to keep the current 102 employees. 

Champion Petfoods resumes pet food production at Canada facility

Champion Petfoods says it has resumed production of two pet food brands after a fire destroyed a dryer at the pet food company's plant in Morinville, Alberta, Canada.
The company will resume production of its Orijen and Acana pet food brands and products will be delivered to retailers during December. The dryer that was destroyed in the fire was rebuilt.

Nestlé invests US$15.9 million in pet food production in Argentina

Pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina has invested CHF15 million (US$15.9 million) in its factory in Santo Tomé, Argentina, increasing its pet food production capacity by 50 percent and creating 250 jobs overall.
The pet food manufacturer's investment added a third production line for dry cat and dog food, as well as two new packaging lines.
The investment is part of a larger expansion project the company began in 2010 to improve the Santo Tomé production facility. The program has so far funded the installation of new production technologies, increased storage capacity for raw materials and improved ingredient mixing facilities. 

Hill's Pet Nutrition video tours pet food production plant

Pet food manufacturer Hill's Pet Nutrition has a new video that lets consumers see its pet food production plant in Emporia, Kansas, USA.
The video provides a look at the company's facility and insight into its pet food manufacturing process at the plant. The video tour of the plant can be viewed online. 

AFIA to host Pet Food Conference at IPPE 2013 in January

On Tuesday, January 29, 2013, the American Feed Industry Association and the USPOULTRY Poultry Protein and Fat Council will sponsor the sixth annual Pet Food Conference on the first day of the International Production & Processing Expo. The forum will feature a number of sessions addressing topics ranging from regulatory issues to the technical aspects of pet food production, food safety, marketing and use of ingredients.
The day-long conference, held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. in Room B-401/402 of the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, will feature several experts discussing topics impacting today’s pet food and pet food ingredient manufacturers. Speakers include those from the Center of Disease Control, the US Food and Drug Administration, the Association of American Feed Control Officials and Eurofins.
The Pet Food Conference fee is US$80 before January 11, 2013. View the full schedule of events at: http://www.afia.org/AFIA/Files/IPPE%202012/Agenda%20as%20of%20Nov%207.pdf.

Cambrian Pet Foods to invest in new pet food production line

Cambrian Pet Foods is investing £1.4 million (US$2.2 million) to expand its pet food production line and create 22 new jobs.
With help from a £500,000 (US$801,104) through the Economic Growth Fund, the petfood company will install a new petfood production line to expand into the growing market for premium petfood in convenience packaging. The new range of premium dry petfoods will launch in 2013.
“Funding support helped to bring it to fruition and was vital to enable us to go ahead with this investment," said Richard Davies, Cambrian Pet Food director. “We operate in an increasingly competitive international market and as a small company we have to remain nimble and react to customer demands and trends."

Vitakraft to produce dog, cat food for Asian market

Vitakraft has entered into cooperation with Wanpy, a Chinese manufacturer of dog and cat treats, to expand its pet food offerings into the Asian market.
As part of the cooperation, a new pet food factory in Yantai in Shandong province is expected to begin production at the end of 2012. The newly established distribution company, Vitakraft China, will market the new range of dog and cat food, as well as continue distributing pet products from the other segments of Vitakraft to the east and southeast Asia-Pacific region.

pet food safety seminar to focus on petfood production, plant design and packaging

Corporate Project Services, a division of Wenger Manufacturing, will host a food safety seminar focusing on pet food processing, February 26 through March 1.
A group of industry professionals will share food safety information as it applies directly to each step of the pet food production process, from plant design to sourcing raw materials, production, sanitation and packaging. The seminar, held in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, will consist of classroom instruction as well we practical demonstrations in Wenger's Technical Center Extrusion Lab in Sabetha, Kansas, USA.
Those interested in attending should return the registration form and payment by January 25, 2013, to Tasha Knoblock, Wenger Manufacturing, via email to tknoblock@wenger.com, or call +1.785.284.2133. 

Nestlé Purina PetCare invests in Australia petfood factory expansion

Nestlé Purina PetCare is investing AUD31 million (US$30.7 million) to expand its pet food factory in Blayney, New South Wales, Australia, according to a report. 
The investment includes the installation of new technology and construction of a new 5,400-square-meter warehouse at the factory, which produces nearly 100,000 metric tons of petfood products per year. 
"This latest investment reflects our long-term commitment to our operations in New South Wales," said David Grant, general manager for Nestlé Purina PetCare in Australia. "It will not only boost future product development, but it also brings the factory and its technological capabilities into the 21st century. This site is now at the forefront of global manufacturing innovation in our company." 

Short course will cover nutrition, feed management, designing animal feed mills

A one-week Practical Short Course on Aquaculture Feed Extrusion, Nutrition and Feed Management will be held September 23-28, at Texas A&M University by staff, industry representatives and consultants. 
The course will cover information on designing new animal feed mills and selecting conveying, drying, grinding, conditioning and feed mixing equipment, including equipment for petfood. The course will also review current practices for preparing full-fat soy meal processing; recycling fisheries by-products, raw animal products and secondary resources; raw-material extrusion of floating, sinking and high fat feeds; spraying and coating fats, digests and preservatives; use of encapsulated ingredients; preparation of premixes; nutritional requirements of warm water fish and shrimp; feed management; and least-cost formulation.
Practical demonstration of sinking, floating and high-fat aqua feed are shown on four major types of extruders (dry, interrupted flights, single and twin-screw), using various shaping dies. Other demonstrations include vacuum coating and lab analysis of raw material for extrusion. 
Reservations are accepted on a first-come basis. For more information, programs and application forms, contact Dr. Mian N. Riaz of Texas A&M's Food Protein R&D Center by phone at +1.979.845.2774 or by email at mnriaz@tamu.edu.

Buhler Technology Group reports 12 percent growth in 2011

Buhler Technology Group announced its fiscal 2011 results, earning sales of CHF 2.131 billion (US$2.35 billion) and growth of nearly 12 percent. 
The petfood production technologies company increased order intake by more than 3 percent to CHF 2.233 billion (US$2.46 billion) as a result of the company’s strong presence in emerging markets. The company’s earnings before interest and tax increased more than 7 percent to CHF 218 million (US$240.1 million) and net profits increased 3 percent to CHF 163 million (US$179.52 million). Adjusted for exchange rates, Buhler’s two food divisions increased sales volumes by about 20 percent. 
During 2011, Buhler’s spending on research and development was CHF 89 million (US$98.02 million), 4.2 percent of sales, with a focus on nutrition, safe foods and energy efficiency. 
For current fiscal 2012, the Executive Board expects a moderate increase in volumes due to the uncertain economic situation. 

West Virginia, USA, considers pet food package permit fee increase

The Senate Agriculture Committee of West Virginia, USA, is considering a bill that would create a pet spay and neuter fund by raising the permit fee on select pet food packages, according to a report.
Senate Bill 479 establishes a Spay Neuter Assistance Fund to subsidize spay and neuter programs throughout West Virginia, USA, in an effort to decrease the number of animals euthanized in West Virginia shelters, the bill says. The bill would raise pet food registration fees from US$50 to US$75 per product, allocating the $25 increase to the spay and neuter fund.
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council opposes the bill, saying the cost of spay and neuter services should not be only the responsibility of petfood distributors and retailers.

Perfection Pet Foods to open human-grade testing, manufacturing plant

Perfection Pet Foods will soon open a new manufacturing facility in Visalia, California, USA, which according to the company's vice president of operations, Ed Cooper, far exceeds the food safety requirements currently in place for petfood manufacturers.
The new plant has an on-site independent certified lab, which is also certified to test food for human consumption, that tests the petfood ingredients arriving at the plant through to the end product.  The pet food plant also has sealed rooms separating different production stages. One area considered to be potentially dangerous for the development of bacterial and toxins is the room that wet and dry pet food ingredients are combined in, where Perfection Pet Food employees will wear clothing, shoe covers and hairnets that do not leave the room, and employees use special stations to scrub exposed skin. The plant also circulates air through three special Hepa filters to ensure no outside air enters the plant and uses a special enamel floor coating to ensure food safety, according to the company. The new petfood production facility will produce 140,000 tons of dry pet food when it opens in March. Cooper said that the company expects to double its production capacity in two years, and grow the company from 30 employees to 80. Cooper also said that within that time, the company hopes to source mainly local ingredients to produce its more than 200 dog and cat food formulas. 

Texas A&M to host petfood extrusion short course

A Practical Short Course on Feeds and PetFood Extrusion will be presented January 29 through February 3, 2012, at Texas A&M University by staff, pet food industry representatives and consultants.

The program will cover designing new feed mills and selecting conveying, drying, grinding, conditioning and feed mixing equipment. Current practices for pet food production are reviewed, including the topics of preparing full-fat soy meal; recycling fisheries by-products, raw animal products and secondary resources; extrusion of floating, sinking, and high-fat feeds; spraying and coating fats, digests and preservatives; use of encapsulated ingredients and preparation of premixes; and least cost formulation. Practical demonstration of pet food, vacuum coating and others are demonstrated on four major types of extruders (dry, interrupted flights, single and twin screw), using various shaping dies. Reservations are accepted on a first-come basis. 

Reservations are accepted on a first-come basis. For more information, contact Dr. Mian N. Riaz at +1.979.845.2774 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +1.979.845.2774      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email mnriaz@tamu.edu.

New pet food products to be displayed at Mexico Pet Expo in June 2012

Exhibition company NurnbergMesse North America will hold the Mexico Pet Expo and Conference from June 27-29, 2012, in Guadalajara, Mexico.

This international business-to-business trade show and conference is expected to attract more than 150 exhibitors and 5,000 pet product buyers. Products that will be presented at the Mexico Pet Expo include new pet food and treats for cats and dogs as well as food for birds and small animals. Technology companies will also display new petfood processing and packaging equipment.

For more information, visit www.mexicopetexpo.com.

Stella & Chewy's to relocate natural pet food plant

Stella & Chewy’s will relocate from its current natural pet food production plant in Muskego, Wisconsin, USA, to a larger petfood manufacturing facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
The company currently has about 40 full-time employees and occupies a 17,000-square-foot space in Muskego, but recently leased a 48,862-square-foot facility from Lassman Family Ltd. Partnership. Stella & Chewy's plans to move in October, according to Marie Moody, the company's founder and president.

Wenger announces September pet food processing technology seminars

Wenger Manufacturing will offer two Pet Food Processing Technology Seminars in September for plant managers, operations and maintenance personnel, and engineers in the petfood industry.
The first course, Pet Food Processing Technology Seminar, will be held from September 13-15. Hands-on training and classroom sessions will be offered in each of the seminar's two tracks: "Operations" and "Maintenance." The seminar will review extrusion and drying systems procedures and theory, while introducing new technologies for process improvement and product quality. The cost for this program is US$1,500 per person, which includes course notes, morning and afternoon breaks, daily lunch and two evening meals.
The second course, Pet Food Processing Technology Advanced Seminar, will be held from September 20-22. This course is geared toward technology, research and development, and engineering personnel. The advanced seminar will cover the science and theory behind the extrusion process through a blend of classroom and hands-on instructions. Participants will be required to develop a petfood product using a small scale extruder, analyze the process and project the scale-up to a production system. The cost for this program is US$1,500 per person, which includes course notes, morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch each day.
Both courses will take place at Wenger's Technical Center in Sabetha, Kansas, USA. Attendees are required to make their own hotel and travel arrangements. The registration deadline to attend either course is July 30.