The European Pet Food Industry Federation：its Safety Track Record

By Thomas Meyer

tmeyer@fediaf.org

The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) was established nearly 35 years ago. With more and more decisions taken at EU level, the need for a representative lobby is crucial (18 national associations today and more will be joining soon).

FEDIAF provides a service, via its national associations, to a considerable number of companies both big and small with an annual turnover of 8.5 billion € - not a negligible Industry – be it food for cats, dogs, fish, hamsters, birds, gerbils…

We work with the EU institutions on all legislative, political and technical aspects concerning our Industry. Numerous, highly technical EU regulations or directives are constantly being drafted of modified and we are an active speaking-partner throughout the legislative process.

Quality and safety is one of our key aspects. The importance of this was exemplified in 1986 when BSE hit the farm feed business. Pet food uses (surplus) material from the human food chain – inevitably human food scares will impact on the pet food Industry. In 1996, vCJD affected humans which promptly brought to the fore the safety of the feed and food chains. The 1999 dioxin crisis struck yet another heavy blow. And now 2004 brings an epidemic of avian influenza in Asia with unknown repercussions.

A quick look at the European Health and Consumer Protection web-site offers ample evidence of other scares, the publicity safety concerns receive and the determination of  the legislator to achieve safety from farm to fork. (http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/index_en.htm)

Pet food is regulated under the same laws as the farm feed Industry, although with some specific rules, so why was our sector never challenged? The answer can be found in a few key factors: Pro-active measures, safety and quality awareness, co-operation with the authorities.

The BSE prion inhabits certain animal tissues (brain, spinal cord, tonsils, etc), and the pet food Industry voluntarily removed these from its recipes long before any legislation. The nature of this pro-active exclusion of specified bovine offals is best reflected in the quote from Lord Philipps' BSE report in the UK: "Ironically the pet food Industry banned beef products long before they were banned for human consumption."

But we also acted in 1989/90 by defining our raw materials animal material originating from healthy animals slaughtered and passed as fit for human consumption. More than ten years later, this voluntary policy has been enshrined in law (Regulation 1774/2002/EC).

Quality, safety and hygiene continue to be our overriding policy and practice. Rules on feed and pet food manufacture are spread across dozens of pieces of legislation, international agreements, etc.

So why not consolidate them in a FEDIAF "Code of Practice for the Manufacture of Safe Pet Foods" ? an industry specific "handbook" for its members laying down the principles of personnel hygiene, Quality Management Systems, HACCP, traceability, plant design, supplier monitoring, in-house control, storage, transport? Well we did just that and work was completed in 2001.

In 2006 a European Regulation on feed hygiene should be in place. The FEDIAF Code of Practice is expected to become the reference document for EU and national control authorities.

So why such a good track record?

•Pet food is safe.

•HACCP, traceability, records, sampling etc are in place.

•FEDIAF has a Code of Practice (on www.fediaf.org).

Source: PETS International Magazine (ISSUE 3, 2004)