As a feed producer of dog food and cat food in Norway, we have strict requirements on how to produce pet food, which raw materials to use, and also how the quality of the packaging should be. is strictly regulated. Finally, but also very important is how we inform you as a customer, and what we write on the pet food bag is quite strictly regulated.
How to understand what is written on the packaging?
As a customer of the Appetitt brand, the first thing you notice is what is written on the bag. Here it is legislated what must be stated in terms of content, we call it “declaration”. This is a guide on how to read and understand the information on dog food and cat food bags. The guide will help make it easier to make the right choice of type of food for your dog or cat.
Why declaration?
All feed on the market, whether it is for dogs and cats or other animals, must be declared in accordance with the latest feed regulations. The goal of the regulations is to provide the most uniform and correct information about the various products that are marketed.
Production of dog food and cat food, quality and sustainability
When we make our products, we have strict regimes for quality assurance. As we are Norwegian, we also have the Norwegian authorities’ requirements that we must comply with. In Norway, we have strict quality requirements for ingredients used in food intended for human or animal consumption. We have zero tolerance for salmonella and the use of genetically modified ingredients. Very good health status of livestock and the restrictive use of antibiotics in Norwegian animal husbandry mean that the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in feed ingredients is virtually non-existent.
Our main sources of protein are poultry and fish. These raw materials comes exclusively from Norwegian producers, and many other raw materials are also sourced from Norwegian producers. There are certain raw materials that cannot be delivered from Norway, such as rice. When we need raw materials or other feed ingredients that we can not find in Norway, we try to find the source as close to Norway as possible (Nordics or Europe).
Quality control
We have
strict control routines throughout the entire production line when we produce
food for cats and dogs.
Both raw
materials that are brought into the factory and feed that has been produced and
will end up on the market undergo a thorough analysis program internally at us,
in parallel with analysis programs carried out by independent laboratories.
This is for increased safety of the product, but also to ensure precision in
the feed’s content, in each production. Our facility is ISO-9001 certified.
When the
raw materials arrive at the factory, they are analyzed for hygienic quality,
content of unwanted substances and chemical composition. Each raw material is
then placed in separate silos. A sample of each batch is kept until the feed’s
expiry date.
Throughout
production, the grinding degree of the raw materials is checked. We ensure the
correct particle size, and carry out so-called “NIR analysis” on all
productions. We then carry out an analysis of the product and check that we
have the correct levels of fat, protein and water in the feed. In case of
deviation, production is stopped. This ensures that the levels are the same as
declared on the bag you buy. Finally, when the feed is packed in bags and just
before the feed is on its way out to you as a customer, we scan all bags with
a scanner so we can check that there are only kibbles in the bag (the scanner search for all foreign items, also plastic), and all bags are also taken through a metal detector. We do this to
ensure that no foreign objects have been introduced during production.
We hope
this gave you insight into how we work with quality, control and raw materials.
From how we declare the item on the outside of the bag, raw materials used in
the feed, the production itself and to the finished product. And finally, but
not least, and in addition to the regulations we have to deal with, we also set
strict requirements for ourselves so that you will experience getting the very
best feed for your cat and dog!
