With more than 29 million pets, Australia has one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world. About 61% of Australian households own pets, and these dogs and cats are estimated to be consuming more than 40 million meals per week.
To meet this demand, pet food production has increased, with new brands and businesses emerging in categories such as freshly prepared, grain-free, raw, dry, pet food subscription, food delivery, senior, and more.
As brands focus on recipe improvement, product development and marketing/branding efforts, it is crucial to remember that brand reputation and trust must also be considered and protected. And this is why it is important to ensure that pet food manufacturers have reliable product inspection systems in place. Why Product Inspection is Essential
Why Product Inspection is Essential
In many societies, pets are now treated as family members, and pet owners want to see their beloved dogs and cats thrive and remain healthy. Pet food manufacturers therefore have the responsibility to produce high quality, nutritious and safe pet foods.
Product inspection during the production and packaging processes will not only ensure that the pet food products have an accurate fill weight, but, more importantly, that they are free of foreign body contaminates or harmful substances and safe for consumption.
Protecting Brand Reputation
Maintaining a positive brand reputation, especially in the Internet age, is crucial. Modern pet parents often research a brand’s history and other customer reviews before making a purchasing decision, and may shy away from companies with recall histories or food safety and production contamination concerns.
By implementing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program and a multi-point quality inspection system with 100% production inspection, pet food brands can mitigate food safety risks in products and prevent potential contamination issues. This in turn minimises the risk of reputation damage and enhances consumer confidence.
Reducing Waste & Product Giveaway
Product inspection systems will help pet food manufacturers prevent costly and wasteful product giveaway. An extra biscuit or two in one package may not be missed, but multiply that by a thousand packages and it could result in a big loss in profitability.
Ensuring that your product package contains exactly what the label says it does will also keep your brand compliant. Plus, consumers will appreciate the product and quality consistency.
Types of Inspection Equipment at A&D
A&D Inspection provides complete inspection solutions that allow your production and manufacturing facility to maintain consistent quality, streamline operations, and keep your products safe.
A&D’s accurate and precise checkweighers will minimise product giveaway and improve quality in production. With an in-line checkweigher, you can also be assured that pets, especially those with health concerns, get the required amount of food and nutrients.
Capacities from 600g to 200lbs with a variety of reject options.
View Checkweigher range
Metal detectors help to ensure that your products are free from metal contaminants before they are sent to retailers. Accurate food metal detection also allows you to identify individual contaminated products instead of having to throw out entire batches.
A&D’s industrial grade in-line metal detection systems are able to detect ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless steel contaminants as small as 0.2 millimetres.
View Metal Detector range
Protect your brand image and reliability by identifying contaminates such as bone fragments, stone, glass, and plastics with A&D’s ProteX X-ray systems.
Our system also features some advanced QA features including missing product identification and shape detection, package seal check, and masking to avoid false rejections.
View ProteX X-ray range
A&D’s Inspection systems can be paired together to provide a combination system. This is ideal for pet food manufacturers who need to incorporate all three technologies for their food safety and quality assurance programs.
Speak to us today for an expert opinion on the right inspection equipment for your facility.