Safe Food for Your Pets

Dr. Dickson is quick to explain that the FDA Salmonella regulation for pet food,
spelled out in Guidance for Industry: Testing for Salmonella Species in Human Foods and Direct-Human-Contact Animal Foods, is different from the USDA rule for meat and poultry in the human food chain, as highlighted in the Progress Report on Salmonella and Campylobacter Testing of Raw Meat and Poultry Products, CY 1998-2014.

“Relative to fresh meat and poultry for human consumption, Salmonella-free meat is not possible in our current processing system,” Dr. Dickson says. “We accept a low level of Salmonella in fresh uncooked meat.”

That Salmonella negative requirement puts a lot of burden on the pet food industry, Dr. Dickson emphasizes. “Manufacturers must make it their job to ensure that their products will test negative for Salmonella. They have to make sure they have the right process, which is impacted by time, temperature, relative humidity, and water activity. As a result, raw material process controls have to be spot on.”

“Raw pet products are a growing niche,” Dr. Dickson mentions, “and alternative non-thermal processes are available to kill pathogens in raw meat while maintaining the desirable raw look. Examples include irradiation and high pressure processing (HPP).”

Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuffs to ionizing radiation. HPP is a cold pasteurization technique by which products, already sealed in their final packages, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure transmitted by water.

Stella and Chewy’s, Oak Creek, Wis., uses HHP on all of its products, specifically 87,000 pounds per square inch of pressure applied for three minutes.

“HPP inactivates harmful pathogens, and is growing practice among leading food brands within food manufacturing for both the human and animal markets,” says Marie Moody, the company’s founder and chairman. Her pets are Tummy, an overgrown Standard Poodle, and Rocko, an orange tabby mix cat.

“We couple that with SecureByNature, our patented food safety system, that employs multiple steps throughout our manufacturing process,” Moody relates. “Additionally, we have each batch of our product tested by outside labs for Salmonella, E. coli 0157, and Listeria, and post the results to our website. That ensures complete transparency for those who have purchased our brand.”

All Stella and Chewy’s products are 90 percent to 98 percent meat, organs, and bones, and many are single-source proteins, which Moody says are often sought by consumers for pet with sensitive digestion systems.

The company’s family of products, all manufactured in a 164,000-square-foot facility in metro Milwaukee, includes frozen dinners for dogs and cats, freeze-dried dinners for dogs and cats, freeze-dried Meal Mixers for dogs, and freeze-dried treats for dogs.

“We source premium meats such as grass-fed beef from North America, Australia, and New Zealand, cage-free chicken from North America, and wild-caught salmon from North America,” Moody says.

All fruits and vegetables are certified organic, and sourced from North and South America as seasonably available, she points out.

“We fully realize that, as consumers seek higher quality and safe food for their households, they also have placed a high value on the same for their pets,” Moody emphasizes. “Food safety is of high importance to them, and Stella & Chewy’s is proactive in maintaining this throughout our manufacturing process.”

Pet Treats Not Regulated by FSMA

Relatively new innovations in the canine culinary world are products that contain cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid purported to provide anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety benefits. Pet treats containing CBD are not regulated by FSMA.

Such products are part of a line of pet treats manufactured by Auntie Dolores Every Day Edibles, a company based in Oakland, Calif., the first of just a few U.S. firms producing CBD-infused pet treats commercially.