Vets Plus, Inc. (VPI) announces that the Wonewoc, WI facility of its subsidiary Merrick’s Animal Health, LLC has received a Certificate of Compliance from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) under its Safe Feed/Safe Food Program (www.safefeedsafefood.org). Safe Feed/Safe Food is a voluntary, third-party certified feed quality program that establishes comprehensive standards of excellence that go beyond regulations to maximize feed and food safety.
“Given the complex and global nature of the food chain we can’t simply regard feed as feed,” said Angela McCollum, Merrick’s Quality Control & Regulatory Affairs Manager. “We must evaluate all aspects of developing feed ingredients and finished feed and control them from sourcing through formulation and production against strict and meaningful standards. Complying with the Safe Feed/Safe Food Program provides rigorous quality standards and helps ensure we deliver safe, quality products into the food chain.”
Merrick’s 100% Safe Feed/Safe Food audit score was just one of three perfect audit scores it received in 2019.
In May, the Wonewoc facility was found fully compliant with the Restricted Use Protein Program (RUPP). RUPP incorporates the FDA’s inspection program for compliance with Title 21, CFR § 589.2000 and is intended to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination of ruminant feed products with protein derived from mammalian tissues.
Also in 2019, the Merrick’s Wonewoc facility complied with the requirements of the FDA’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Program (HACCP). HACCP is a management system that addresses food safety by analyzing and controlling biological, chemical, and other hazards from the raw material stage through manufacturing, distribution and consumption of a finished product.
“We are proud of the Wonewoc team’s performance against the most demanding standards,” said Dave Nelson, President of Vets Plus, Inc. “These achievements, coupled with our numerous quality accomplishments throughout our group of companies, including in companion animal products, reflect our best-in-class quality standards across the entire animal health industry.”
Mr. Nelson continued, “Meeting rigorous food safety program standards supports our confidence in delivering safe and effective products to our customers every day.”
For 60 years Merrick’s has been an innovator in nutritional science for production animals. Today, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of VPI, Merrick’s Blue Ribbon products are used worldwide to support the health of animals and the integrity of our food supply.
Vets Plus, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of health and nutrition products for livestock and companion animals, operating throughout North America and internationally. Vets Plus, Inc. is committed to quality and maintains SQF Edition 8.0 certification, NASC membership and AAFCO compliance. For information about Vets Plus, visit www.vets-plus.com.
