By Tim Lombardo, EAS Senior Director for Food Consulting Services
Recent survey reports indicate that supplements for pets have reached US sales of nearly $3 billion, with dog and cat supplements comprising of approximately 75% and 20% of the total, respectively. The growing pet supplement market is aimed at pet health and wellness, particularly for issues like mobility, skin and coat health, and anxiety. Survey reports specifically indicate that hip and joint supplements are the most frequently type of supplement purchased.
The primary drivers for the growth in pet supplement include (1) Consumer Perception and (2) Marketing.
Consumer Perception
Human supplements are overwhelmingly considered very safe, and in some surveys, consumers place supplement safety above that of food safety. For pet owners, this perception of safety is then extended to pet supplements. Additionally, pets are increasingly viewed more as family members, resulting in a desire and willingness for pet owners to invest in their pet’s health. Further, veterinarians are more willing to recommend pet supplements to pet owners, adding an additional layer of “approval.”
As a member of the Certified Group and Food Safety Net Services, EAS clients have access to world-renowned testing laboratories that meet your organization’s sophisticated needs. In this column, you’ll hear about their capabilities, environmental challenges and more. We hope you’ll enjoy a look “under the microscope.”
Pet Food Label Modernization – A Decade in the Making
If you’re in the pet food manufacturing industry, you know that big changes are on the horizon when it comes to labeling.
Here, we summarize the upcoming changes so your organization can begin working toward compliance during the six-year phase-in period.
Why Change Pet Food Labels?
Pet Food Label Modernization aims to improve transparency, consistency, and consumer understanding for pet owners. These changes will align the Primary Display Panel and Nutrition Statements on pet food packaging more closely with human food labels, making nutritional information easier to read and compare. This includes standardized details on ingredients, caloric content, and intended use.
The hope is that clearer labels will help consumers make informed choices, ultimately boosting trust in pet food products and the industry as a whole.
Although the 3-A Standards are not regulations, many regulatory authorities treat them as such to permit the use of equipment for food or dairy processing.
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Tim is a widely regarded expert in food safety and microbiology with over 25 years of direct experience leading these programs at a variety of manufacturing facilities. Tim’s direct experience includes dairy, infant formula, baked goods, nuts and nut products, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, spices, color flavors and other ingredients and many others. He is a Lead Instructor through the Food Safety and Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) in Preventive Controls for both Human and Animal Foods, is certified in Thermal / Aseptic Processing and Sterilization through the Better Process Control School and is a Lead Instructor for the HACCP Controls Alliance.
Prior to joining EAS, Mr. Lombardo was the Lead Staff Scientist at Eurofins where he oversaw microbiological harborage site investigations, facilitated Food Safety plan development and validation including Food Security, Food Defense/Intentional Adulteration and Food Fraud Plan Development. He also spent 17 years at Leprino Foods Company, in roles of increasing responsibility, culminating as the Corporate Manager of Sanitation where he provided corporate sanitation leadership and guidance to ten cheese and dairy ingredient manufacturing facilities, three of which manufactured infant formula ingredients. Additionally, he had responsibility for the firm’s Food Safety/Quality Systems including GMPs, HACCP, Environmental Monitoring, Pest Control, Foreign Material Control, Traceability, and Ingredient Monitoring at various plants.
Mr. Lombardo is a published author and international speaker. He is a member of the Institute for Food Technology (IFT), the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) and is a member of the US Hemp Authority Technical Committee. He is also a combat Veteran, having served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
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