Bernice J. Hicks 
LEUVEN, BELGIUM — Food safety is a priority for processors and ingredient suppliers of pet food and treats. Identifying foreign matter, preventing cross-contamination, ensuring consistency and validating the integrity of ingredients and finished products are all part of food safety.
All of these food safety factors have a direct impact on the cost and yield of raw materials – including commonly used pet food proteins such as beef, poultry and rendered meals – and, therefore, reputation. brands.
Strict food safety standards set by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) require pet food brands and ingredient suppliers to protect their products; the use of modern food processing and safety technologies is one way to achieve this. To this end, TOMRA Food has highlighted which of its systems help produce pet food safe ingredients and finished pet food products.
According to TOMRA, optical sorting gives renderers and feed producers an edge over conventional inspection methods, such as metal detection and X-ray systems. For example, the TOMRA 5C Sorter can identify and reject foreign matter in rendered meals before they reach the pet food manufacturer. This “final control” approach to processed meals can also regulate ash content and improve the final quality of a protein meal, the company said.
For the manufacture of dry pet food, the TOMRA Nimbus system can be used to identify foreign bodies and detect cross-contamination. The system’s pet food-specific software can store recipes and then use those set parameters to measure each piece of kibble and determine if it’s from the correct batch.
The TOMRA 5B is best suited for processing treats and wet pet food. This system can prevent the inclusion of foreign materials in the final packaging of pet treats, and also measure the consistent size, shape and color of each treat.
In wet pet food, the TOMRA 5B can be configured for incoming ingredients to check frozen protein ingredients for foreign matter. TOMRA suggests placing this system between the crusher or grinder and the mixer to prevent foreign matter from entering the mixer. The TOMRA 5B can identify stones, hard and soft plastics, metal, wood, glass, rubber and bone, and eject unwanted materials before protein travels downstream.
In addition to helping manufacturers meet rigorous food safety standards and protect their reputations, TOMRA noted that its optical sorting equipment can also benefit the sustainability and profitability of rendered protein suppliers and protein manufacturers. pet food. The company’s sorting solutions can protect value-added products from waste by identifying off-spec attributes earlier, protecting the processor’s investment in their ingredients, processes and environmental impact.
“Non-conformances with our customers have decreased significantly and we see very, very little waste or foreign matter in our materials,” said Craig Harrison, site manager for TOMRA. “Our current customers have seen the difference in the finished product and there is a lot of interest from other customers wanting to purchase our material.”
Learn about advances in online inspection improving food safety in the pet food and treats industry.
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