Flawless product inspection of pet food

In many societies our pets have become full-fledged family members. As such we want to see our pets thrive and remain healthy just like any other family member. In the U.S. alone, dog and cat owners spent $26 billion on just dog and cat food in 2017, and the rate of this spending is growing at about 6% per year.¹ The 2017 worldwide pet food sales targeted at just dogs and cats was approximately $59 billion.

A recent study of dog and cat owners found that over 70% of pet owners agreed with the statement “High-quality pet food is effective for preventive health care.²”

Other studies indicate that pet owners are more interested in pet food products having “clean labels.” Clean labels in this context means that the pet food contained within the package is exactly what the label states, in terms of weight and product purity. Dynamic product inspection techniques are employed to ensure that the pet food manufacturer’s product label matches the contents of the package.

¹Source: Pet Food in the U.S., 13th Edition

²Source: National Pet Owner Survey (U.S.), February/March 2017

Product inspection systems used to ensure the product label matches the contents:

• To maintain customer loyalty, pet food manufacturers use product inspection during the production and packaging processes that ensure their pet food products have the correct fill weight and are free of foreign body contaminates.
• Like human food, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDA 21 CFR 113) requires that pet food be “safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances and be truthfully labeled.” Effective, in-motion product inspection is a key factor in ensuring safety.
• Worldwide pet food packaging and safety requirements exist, such as the EU regulation 767/2009 covering basic pet food labeling requirements. The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) has also developed guidelines (FEDIAF, 2015-A) to ensure a supply of safe and nutritious pet food.

Wipotec is a well-known provider of checkweighing and X-ray inspection systems used in the inspection of pet food. Pet food companies around the world have come to rely on our checkweighers and X-ray scanners as proven product inspection methods that enhance their customer’s trust in their pet food products.

Improve your end-of-line control systems to ensure the highest quality standards in marking and labeling! With TQS, our Traceable Quality System, one single unit combines all the modules you need to mark and check high-quality pet food. A best-before date, for example, must be clearly displayed on the packaging of each individual item to protect our dearest four-legged friends from unhealthy surprises. In addition, dynamic batch coding enables accurate traceability throughout the entire lifespan of a product. In the event of a recall, this makes the process much smoother.