Making Animal Feed Safer with Processing Equipment

Ensuring the safety and nutritional value of animal feed, mixed feed, medicated feed, aqua feed, pet food, treats, and chews is the number one priority of animal feed manufacturers and is necessary when producing consumable goods.

Here’s a detailed look how this priority is met when using high-quality processing equipment to increase accuracy, expand production, and solve potential problems.

Increasing Accuracy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that “Feed and feed ingredient manufacturers have a legal responsibility to ensure that every ingredient used in their products is safe for its intended use, and their products are not adulterated or misbranded.”

Manufacturers are also “responsible for producing safe feed and pet food, and for following FDA regulations” for safe and nutritious consumption. These regulations include the safety of “grains, milling byproducts, vitamins, minerals, fats/oils, and other nutritional and energy sources” as well as “enzymes, processing aids, anti-caking agents, stabilizers, and food and color additives” used in the processing of animal feed.

Due to the serious nature of complying with strict FDA animal feed safety standards, it’s imperative that high-quality, easily monitored processing equipment is used in the production of consumable goods. Doing so also decreases imprecise processes and careless mistakes.

High-grade processing equipment will help increase accuracy by allowing:

  • Less breakage due to proper handling of delicate ingredients and finished products

  • Consistent liquid application even for difficult coatings such as micro liquids (enzymes, mold inhibitors, etc.)

  • High-quality packaging and labeling that reduces waste and spoilage

With proper processing machinery, manufacturers will be better equipped to exceed every safety standard and meet every measurement of accuracy.

Expanding Productivity

If expanding productivity (and profits as a result) is your goal, there are four ways processing equipment can aid you in this endeavor. They are:

  1. Reducing the labor required to produce quality feed by delivering intuitive monitoring processes which can be observed easily and consistently.

  2. Quickly and accurately moving ingredients, additives, and finished products through the entire process by using an error-free inventory tracking system.

  3. Fulfilling orders quickly and gaining satisfied customers with proper packaging, accurate labeling, and speedy shipping.

  4. Allowing for intelligent strategies to be planned and implemented by giving detailed reports on production, inventory, and costs.

When processing equipment integrates these controls and reports, they allow an expanded productivity that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

Solving Problems

With proper processing equipment, problems can be predicted and solved before they have a chance to take place. Feed productions will go smoothly and efficiently when the equipment includes the following capabilities:

  • Precise monitoring and managing of processes

  • Components that are easily maintained and durable

  • Tracking that allows compliance with FDA standards

  • Barcode ingredient confirmation

  • Lot tracking

  • Noting of expiration dates

  • Easily maintained inventory

  • Quality control

  • Time and date stamping

  • Detailed reports of usage and production outcomes

With start-to-finish solutions that combine correct methods and controls, the results are a superior product, satisfied customers, and a more profitable business.

For more information on animal feed processing equipment, contact APEC today.