Our Next Course

25 April 2012

Pet Food Regulations: Explanation and Application

This event follows our three very successful seminars in 2010 and 2011, and will explore the latest marketing, additive and animal by-product regulatory requirements with particular focus on labelling and other consumer communication.  It also reviews the longer standing regulations applicable to pet food manufacture and marketing.

Introduction to Manufacture and Marketing

Pet Food Manufacture and Marketing: A Practical Insight
Windmill Village Hotel and Conference Centre
Birmingham, UK

Further details can be found in the attached leaflet from an earlier course – Acrobat Reader required – Course flyer November 2010.

The course covers the basic elements of pet nutrition, palatability, product development, formulation and manufacturing together with key regulatory requirements and European market data.

It is suitable for those beginning technical careers in pet food development or manufacture, those in commercial roles who seek a better understanding of pet needs, pet food manufacture and the relevant regulations, or simply those needing to keep up to date with changes in the industry.

Course overview

Day One
The European Pet Food Market

Statistics, segmentation, branded and own label, outlets.
The Prerequisites:

Nutrition

  • Cat, dog, small animals, exotics
  • Complete, complementary and supplements
  • Energy requirements and digestibility, bioavailability, effects of processing
  • Key nutrients macro and micro
  • Functional foods – skin and coat, immune system, etc.
  • Feeding trials, calculations, guidelines

Safety

  • Microbiological – raw materials, processing and preservation, zoonoses
  • Toxicological – contaminants, nutrients toxic in excess, pet species specifics, extrapolation from other species
  • Physical – foreign bodies, choking

Quality

  • Applying Quality approaches to pet food manufacture
  • The role of HACCP
  • Vendor Assurance
  • Statistical Process Control (SPC)
  • Traceability
Product Brief
- Workshop 1
Palatability

  • Nutrition and enjoyment, owner perception
  • Organoleptic drivers – animal and owner, variety
  • Measures – feeding trials, MR, experience
  • Raw materials – ranking
  • Effects of processing – positive and negative
  • Proprietary flavours
Day Two
Manufacturing, marketing, regulation:

The EU regulatory structure

  • Commission, Council, Parliament, process

Raw materials

  • Animal by-products – regulation and practice
  • Non-animal ingredients
  • Additives – technological, sensory, nutritional
  • Undesirable substances

Manufacturing, packaging, distribution

  • The Feed Hygiene Regulation
  • Wet products – sterilised and frozen
  • Dry products – extruded, baked
  • Intermediate moisture foods
Marketing

  • Labelling and marketing – the new Regulation and industry codes
  • Products claims – examples, substantiation
Product Brief
- Workshop 2
Conclusions

Course speakers

The key speakers have a combined experience of over 100 years in the pet food industry covering pet food product development and manufacture.

Dr John Lowe: Formerly Technical Director and nutritionist with a leading UK pet food manufacturer John, who is well known in the industry, is currently a consultant and an internationally renowned speaker on pet nutrition.

Terry Plant: Having been in the pet food industry for over 30 years Terry, formerly Director of Quality for a major European pet food company, is still actively involved in the industry as principal of T A Plant Consulting.

Geoff Grantham: Geoff has also worked in the pet food industry for over 30 years. He worked for a major multinational in product and process development and in regulatory and environmental affairs. He is now acting as a consultant to the industry.