Industry news

Guelph University finds a clue to petfood problems
Scientists at the University of Guelph say they have discovered a chemical process that may explain how pets were sickened and killed by tainted petfood. The Guelph scientists found that melamine and cyanuric acid, a metabolic by-product of melamine, react with one another to form crystals that may block kidney function. Tests at the university's laboratory identified these crystal-like substances in the kidneys and urine of affected animals.

Last week, a chemist at the Agriculture and Food Laboratory in Guelph decided to test the reaction between the two compounds in a setting similar to that of an animal's kidney. “Our research had taken a number of turns, and so we decided to take a look at the two substances implicated by the FDA,” said John Melichercik, director of analytical services for laboratory services at Guelph. The experiment resulted in the formation of a precipitate in a crystal-like form. Analysis of the crystal determined that it had a chemical fingerprint matching that of crystals found in the urine and tissues of animals that died of renal failure.

“We overlayed the two scans, and they were a very good match,” he said. Melichercik said that while research had been done on the chemical reaction between the two compounds in an industrial setting, this was the first time it was applied within the context of the petfood recall. "I wouldn't call it a novel finding in terms of the scientific community, but in terms of this particular situation, nobody has really talked about the possible mechanisms of how this could be occurring,” he said. He said the findings also explain how two compounds that weren't dangerous on their own could become toxic when they react together.

About the ongoing petfood contamination crisis, traceability expert Julie Lenzer Kirk said, “No one is immune, we're all in this together and the repercussions remain to be seen.” She was speaking at Petfood Forum on April 18, 2007, as part of a panel discussion on “Traceability: what do you do when something goes wrong?” For the full story click here.

Melamine from petfood enters human food chain
China has given American regulators permission to enter the country to investigate whether Chinese suppliers exported contaminated ingredients to the United States earlier this year. Representatives of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had been previously blocked from entering China, where tainted wheat gluten and other animal feed ingredients were sourced. The agency is also investigating imports of rice protein from China.

The FDA also identified a second Chinese company, Binzhou Futian Biological Technology, which exported animal feed tainted with melamine to American petfood and animal feed suppliers. Apparently, the practice of falsely increasing protein levels in animal feed with melamine is widely performed in China and no regulations exist to prevent or restrict its use, as reported recently by CBS News.

Regulators in California have since found melamine in rice protein animal feed that was fed to livestock, and the fear is that the chemical could have entered the human food supply chain through hogs and chickens. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the FDA learned that by-products from petfood manufactured with contaminated wheat gluten imported from China have been used in chicken feed on some farms in the state of Indiana.

At this time, the investigation indicates that approximately 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana received contaminated feed in early February and fed it to poultry within days of receiving it. All of the broilers believed to have been fed contaminated product have since been processed. The breeders that were fed the contaminated product are under voluntary hold by the flock owners. FDA and USDA anticipate that as the investigation continues additional farms will likely be identified that received contaminated feed. For additional information visit http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.htm.

Method detects melamine in petfood
A professor and a graduate student in University of the Pacific's (Stockton, California, USA) chemistry department have developed a new method of determining if petfood has been contaminated with melamine. Professor O. David Sparkman and student Teresa Vail used a mass spectrometer connected to a DART, or direct analysis in real time, device to determine that a recalled can of dog food contained melamine, a chemical used in plastic furniture, cookware and fertilizers.

While traditional processes of determining whether food has been tainted can take an hour or more, the new technique takes just minutes. Mass spectrometry is used to determine the mass and identity of molecules in substances. The DART interface device allows food substances to be analyzed without sample preparation.

Vail and Sparkman will present their breakthrough method in June at an American Society of Mass Spectrometry conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. But Sparkman hopes the method will be applied widely in the real world. “We hope other people would embrace the work on this, and it will become a standardized tool,” he said.

On-site registration for Petfood Forum Europe
Petfood Forum Europe 2007 will be held May 8, 2007 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The symposium will be held in association with Victam International, which means that Petfood Forum Europe exhibitors will be located within the Victam trade show. On-site registration will be available.

For details and to register, go to www.wattnet.com/petfoodforum/home.cfm or E-mail Marcia Riddle at mriddle@wattnet.net. To find out more about Victam International and available hotels, visit www.victam.com.

2007 Nestlé Purina Nutrition Forum call for abstracts
The Nestlé Purina Nutrition Forum will be held on September 20-23, 2007 at the St. Louis Ballpark Hilton Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The theme will be Focus on Felines. This year's Forum is dedicated to two individuals that have been in the forefront of feline nutrition research for many years, Drs. James G. Morris and Quinton R. Rogers. General registration will remain open until August 31. Early registration is recommended as space fills up fast.

Abstracts may be submitted for research in any area of canine or feline nutrition, although preference will be given for those related to the key theme. The deadline for receipt of abstracts in June 30, 2007. The $300 registration fee is waived for the presenting author of accepted abstracts. For more information, contact Charlene Lackey at +1.314.982.5856, Charlene.lackey@rdmo.nestle.com. Abstracts must follow the guidelines, which can be obtained by contacting Dorothy.laflamme@rdmo.nestle.com.

More companies issue petfood recalls
Chenango Valley Pet Foods has voluntarily recalled petfoods manufactured with a certain shipment of rice protein concentrate, as reported by the Associated Press recently. The petfoods were sold to customers in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, who in turn sold the products to their customers through catalog mail orders or retail outlets.

The following dry petfoods are involved in the recall: Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food; Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Cat Food; Lick Your Chops Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg Cat Food; Bulk Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food sold to one consignee, SmartPak, in a 2,000-pound tote.

Diamond Pet Foods has also announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition due to inclusion of an affected rice protein concentrate. This action is limited to three specific canned products: Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten Formula and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Puppy Formula.

Mulligan Stew Pet Food was recently notified that its manufacturer, American Nutrition, had issued a voluntary recall of two of its four formulas—Chicken Mulligan Stew and Turkey Mulligan Stew. American Nutrition stated they added small quantities of rice protein to Mulligan Stew's Chicken and Turkey formulas in order to increase protein levels. According to Kevin Meehan, the company's developer and president, “The rice protein introduction is a direct violation of our company's patented formula and was done without our knowledge or consent."

Penford Food Ingredients enters pet chews and treats market
Penford Food Ingredients (www.penfordfoods.com), a division of Penford Corp., today announced that it has entered the growing market for companion pet chews and treats. Recognizing opportunities to connect product development, food science, product safety and efficacy, Penford created a platform that can deliver a variety of proprietary formulations, applications and services to the pet industry. Penford has developed a range of extruded and injection molded treats and chews for pets that are based on new carbohydrate technology. According to the company, these products are designed to address consumer demands for safer and more functional products that enhance health and quality of life for companion pets.

Nestlé Purina honored by American Veterinary Exhibitors' Association
Nestlé Purina PetCare was recently recognized by the American Veterinary Exhibitors' Association (AVEA) as having the most outstanding booth throughout 2006 from among over 300 veterinary exhibitors. At the 2007 North America Veterinary Conference in January, the AVEA presented Nestlé Purina with the 2007 Inline Booth of the Year award. The AVEA observes exhibiting booths to determine which companies demonstrate outstanding leadership. Nestlé Purina earned this award based on the professionalism and knowledge of their booth staff, the cleanliness of their booth and accessibility of information.

Alcan Packaging grabs awards for printing excellence
Alcan Packaging Food Americas has won top honors in two categories in the 2007 PLGA Global US Print Quality Awards. Sponsored by the Packaging and Label Gravure Association Global, the awards recognize excellence in gravure printing. Winning in the Film/Film Lamination Process category, Alcan Packaging's Shrek Animals cookie bag for Kellogg Company features eight colors (four-process and four-line) reverse printed on multi-layer lamination. Judges noted the bag's printed metallized film creates eye appeal.
A tobacco foil overwrap for cigarette brand Number 7 received a top award in the Flexible Packaging category. Four process colors plus white, gold, hotmelt and overlacquer distinguish the paper-laminated aluminum foil structure.

Scott appointed president of Natura Manufacturing Inc.
Don Scott has been appointed president of Natura Manufacturing Inc., effective May 1st. Scott previously served as vice president and was instrumental in managing day-to-day operations of Natura Manufacturing Inc. and Sturdy Pet Products. Since 2001, Scott has been crucial in managing and developing one of the most modern, state-of-the-art dry petfood production facilities in the US, as well as overseeing R&D activity for Natura Pet Products. His company states that he has also improved Natura's manufacturing by significantly enhancing productivity, safety and product quality.

Dibevo and Zoomark are top European trade shows
Dibevo in the Netherlands and Zoomark in Bologna are the two international trade shows that PETglobal readers have expressed a preference for visiting this year, according to a recent PETglobal survey. Thirty nine percent of those taking part in the survey indicated their intention of visiting Dibevo in Gorinchem, while 32 percent favored Zoomark International in Bologna. These were followed by Expozoo in Paris, which took place in March. DeZooFa in Wiesbaden and Glee Pet index in Birmingham came further down the list.

Brooks appointed to NACMCF
Dr. Scott Brooks of Food Safety Net Services was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) by US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. The committee provides scientific advice on public health issues relative to the safety and wholesomeness of the US food supply and assists in the development of microbiological criteria and reviews and evaluates epidemiological and risk assessment data, as well as methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards. Appointees are scientists from government, industry, academia and consumer groups and serve on the committee for two years.

NutraCea announces agreement with ADM
NutraCea recently announced that they have entered into an agreement with ADM Rice Inc., an operating division of Archer Daniels Midland Company, whereby NutraCea will implement its proprietary rice stabilization technology into the ADM Rice facility located in Arbuckle, California, USA to produce stabilized rice bran for distribution into the human, companion pet and equine feed markets.

Nutri-Vet hires key account executive
Nutri-Vet Animal Health Care Products has hired Mark Olle for the position of key account executive. In his new role, Olle will focus on expanding the Nutri-Vet brand through Central Garden & Pet Company. He will manage the company's sales programs and educate distributor reps, retailers and consumers about the benefits of Nutri-Vet supplements for dogs, cats, horses and goats. Before joining Nutri-Vet, Olle was an account manager with The Iams Company (Procter & Gamble) in South and West Texas, El Paso and New Mexico.

Mill & Elevator Supply to acquire EBM Mill & Elevator Supply
Mill & Elevator Supply/Rubber Belting & Hose has announced the acquisition of EBM Mill & Elevator Supply, effective April 27, 2007. EBM Construction and EBM Manufacturing will continue to be owned and fully operated by the original ownership of Clayton and Guy Ellsworth, along with Dale Samuelson focusing on the Grain, Feed, Milling, Seed and Ethanol Industries.