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News
Canned petfood recalled due to botulism scare
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers about more than 80 types of stew, chili, hash and petfood produced out of Castleberry’s Georgia-based plant. Castleberry has temporarily closed the plant where the foods were produced. Castleberry’s says using the products could result in botulism poisoning – the country’s first major botulism threat in over 30 years. The company has hired an outside firm to visit more than 8,500 retailers in an effort to quickly get recalled products off store shelves. The canned petfood products affected by the recall are Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs. For a full listing of recalled products and barcode numbers, visit http://castleberrys.com/news_productrecall.asp.
PFI to kick off its 50th year celebration
The Pet Food Institute will be kicking off its 50th year celebration at its annual meeting, which is being held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, October 15 and 16. A technical session on the morning of the second day, which is presented by only affiliate members of PFI, is an educational forum for the attendees of the annual meeting and typically incorporates presentations by three speakers on the chosen subject. The session is a non-commercial presentation on new information and technologies of benefit to PFI members.
Readers' Choice survey
We're looking for the best of the petfood industry suppliers and we want your opinion. One respondent will be chosen randomly to receive an iPod Nano! Please tell us the suppliers you think are the best in specific categories that are applicable to your business. The results of this survey will appear in a future issue of Petfood Industry. Click on this link to take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hs5KhxWcuazpVlr_2baugZuA_3d_3d
Watt Publishing Co. moves headquarters
Watt Publishing Co., publisher of Petfood Industry magazine and PetfoodIndustry.com, announces the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Mt. Morris, Illinois, USA, to Rockford, Illinois, as of July 30. The new address is 303 N. Main St., Rockford, IL 61101. Founded in 1917, Watt is a multimedia publisher of print publications, websites, electronic newsletters and organizer of conferences and trade shows. Industries covered include poultry, pork, feed, petfood, woodworking and meat processing.
Indiana Mars petfood plant expanding
Construction has begun on the US$12 million expansion project of the Portland, Indiana, USA, Mars Pet Care facility. The plant, which employs 50 staff members currently, will be adding over 50 more jobs to produce a new dog food product line, referred to as “complete meals,” according to plant manager Doug Reed. The company will announce the hiring process at a later date.
AFIA and PPFC plan petfood conference
The American Feed Industry Association and the Poultry Protein & Fat Council will sponsor a Conference on Petfood Ingredient Quality January 22-23, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The conference will begin at 9 AM on Tuesday, January 22, prior to the opening of the International Poultry Expo and the International Feed Expo the following day.
For more information on the conference, go to www.petfoodconference.com.
Exopack acquires film coatings business
InteliCoat Technologies, a manufacturer of coated paper, film and specialty substrates, has sold its Electronic and Engineered Films (EEF) business unit to Exopack Holding Inc. This new acquisition by Exopack will be renamed Exopack Advanced Coatings and will maintain its operations in Matthews, North Carolina, USA, and North Wales in the United Kingdom.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to expand our products and capabilities portfolio and strengthen the presence of the Exopack brand in the global marketplace,” said Exopack President and CEO Jack Knott. Alan Parker has been named the vice president and general manager for Exopack Advanced Coatings. Parker was formerly the managing director of European operations for InteliCoat and will continue to work from the North Wales facility.
The ASA upholds two complaints against Iams
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that claims made in British national press advertisements by Iams, the petfood division of Proctor & Gamble, were “exaggerated” and “misleading.” The first complaint focused on dog food advertisements. Iams made claims that recent experiments showed that increased beta-carotene content in the diets of Fox Terriers and Golden Retrievers restored their immune system to that of a much younger dog. The ASA, however, found Iams had not provided sufficient evidence to prove the claim.
The second complaint concerned claims for Iams Senior cat foods. Iams supplied the ASA with evidence of experiments where the researchers concluded that adding specific levels of vitamin E to the diet enhanced immune system responses in young and old cats. Acting on expert advice, the ASA ruled that the claim that Iams Senior cat food was “proven to take the immune system of an 8-year-old cat back to the level of a 2-year-old cat” was considered “misleading.”
SPF-USA welcomes new managers
SPF-USA, a division of SPF-Diana, has announced that Kevin Young and Melissa Thrune have joined the company as key account manager and account manager, respectively. As key account manager, Young’s primary responsibilities will be to bring palatability enhancers and technologies to customers and prospects. As account manager, Thrune’s responsibilities will include managing current customers and keeping customers and prospects up to date on new projects.
Dr. Janet Donlin joins Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. has announced that Dr. Janet Donlin, D.V.M., has been named chief of the veterinary business channel for North America. In that role Dr. Donlin will oversee Hill’s academic affairs, technical information services, scientific affairs, veterinary consultation services, professional affairs and veterinary strategic initiatives. In addition, Dr. Donlin will perform a key leadership role as Hill’s strategic liaison to the veterinary medical profession in North America.
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