Quality Assurance and Product Inspection for Pet Food Manufacturers

We support pet food manufacturers with advanced quality inspection solutions that perform foreign body contamination detection, fill level control, weight and mass control, label inspection, and integrity checks.

At METTLER TOLEDO, we believe pets deserve food prepared to the same standards as we expect for our own food. Our comprehensive product inspection solutions for pet food manufacturers help deliver just that. In addition to helping you produce the best quality products, our systems help pet food manufacturers address the following challenges:

Rising manufacturing costs
Production downtime
The need to improve productivity
Compliance with industry standards
Risk of foreign body contamination
Risk of biological contamination through poor cleaning routines

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Inline Product Quality Inspection for the Pet Food Industry

Pet Food Product Inspection

We specialize in supplying intelligent quality control solutions which support pet food manufacturers in delivering the best quality products to pets and their owners. Our systems make it easier to demonstrate due diligence and meet regulatory pet food compliance requirements. The advanced software features of our product inspection systems help to streamline testing and auditing processes, easing the transition towards sustainable growth.

Our solutions for product inspection in the pet food industry perform quality control checks on a variety of pet food products, including wet, dry and frozen food, supplements, snacks and treats. These solutions can handle all common packaging materials and shapes, including cans, foil trays, pouches, bags, folding cartons, chubs, and everything in between.

Our product inspection solutions in the pet food industry include metal detection and x-ray inspection systems for foreign body detection, checkweighing for weight and fill level control as well as completeness checks, and vision inspection systems for packaging and label integrity checks including verifying that sealing surfaces are free from debris.

The versatility of these product inspection systems means they are built to integrate into your current pet food production process for automated inline inspection, and can also be placed at the end of the line as a final quality checkpoint. We offer combination systems to help you make efficient use of available production line space.

We work with multiple pet food manufacturers to implement product inspection programs – you can read more about our work in our case studies with Pro Pet and Earth Animal. Whatever quality control challenges you face in the pet food manufacturing industry, our solutions can help.

Pet Food Product Inspection Solutions

Metal Detection	X-ray Inspection	Checkweighing	Vision Inspection	Combination Systems

Detect and reject metal contamination in wet, dry and frozen pet foods along with raw materials such as grains, powders and pumped products Detect ferrous, non-ferrous, and non-magnetic stainless steel metal as small as 0.3 millimeters in diameter Ideal for a wide range of conveyorized, pipeline and vertical pet food processing applications Metal detection systems for pet food	Foreign body detection (metal, glass, bone, stone and some low-density materials) for pet safety In-built inspection capabilities to perform a wide range of product quality and integrity checks, such as completeness checks Advanced ContamPlus™ software reduces false reject rates, minimizing production waste to provide accurate and thorough detection results X-ray inspection systems for pet food	Highly accurate weight control detects under- and over-filling to meet MID regulations Precision weighing delivers a high level of quality control in high-speed production lines Standardized, modular system design meets every application need in dry, wet and harsh production environments Reliable inline weight control or end-of-line completeness checks Checkweighers for pet food	Exchange unreliable manual spot checks for 100% automated label inspection 100% label data and quality inspection to meet regulatory requirements - like the upcoming AAFCO labeling guideline - and to reduce the risk of product recalls Package and carton inspection available for advanced applications Vision inspection systems for pet food	Compliance and quality control in one space-saving system Combine different technologies in one system to help meet inspection requirements Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with shared components and single point of contact for training and service Combination inspection systems for pet food

Pet Food Inspection Applications

Foreign Body Detection

Foreign body contamination found in your product can do serious damage to your brand and could even harm a customer’s pet, which can impact your reputation, losing customers and profits. This type of physical contamination occurs when fragments of metal, glass, plastic, or other materials are introduced during the production process. This can be through contaminated raw materials, broken or damaged equipment, or accidental introduction of contaminants by employees. With x-ray inspection and metal detection technology you can quickly identify and remove contaminated products from the production line for improved product safety and quality.

Package Fill Level and Weight Control

Filling errors on the production line can result in non-compliance with weights and measures regulations – and all the fines and reputation damage that entails – or it can result in unnecessary product giveaway which reduces profits. Product inspection systems such as inline checkweighers can monitor fill-levels and adjust fill-heads automatically, preventing product waste and reducing potential rework.

Completeness Checks

Making certain that pet food packages leave with all the necessary components present before being shipped to retailers is a big part of avoiding consumer complaints and returns. Checkweighing, vision inspection and x-ray inspection have options to verify product completeness – from weighing the product for accurate filling to inspecting product for filling to verifying label correctness - each system can help you verify the package and its contents is complete. Thanks to advanced product handling options, these checks can be accomplished at high speeds, mitigating the impact on production efficiency.

Label Inspection

With so many varieties of pet food being produced in a single location, and with customers who want to provide their pets with the best possible nutrition, proper labeling is critical. Label-related defects and errors are a common and easily preventable source of consumer complaints and product recalls. Integrating vision inspection machines into your production process to check for correct, present, and undamaged labels on each product can help prevent products with unsatisfactory or incorrect labels from entering the marketplace. By verifying critical label data and quality, vision inspection systems minimize the risk of mislabeling, supporting industry guidelines and protecting your brand. We offer a wide range of solutions that perform label quality checks on both oriented and unoriented products.

ProdX™ Data Management Software

Monitors, automates and manages device and inspection processes of product inspection critical controls
Maintains a complete device digital record of Inspection parameters and results as well as all rejects, user interactions and inspection parameter changes
Remote system setup and product changeover capabilities
Paperless recording of food safety performance monitoring test routines for audit-ready documentation

Learn more about ProdX Quality Management Software

Service and support for product inspection in the cosmetics industry

Explore Our Services

Our key benefits:

One of the largest service workforces in the industry with more than 600 certified product inspection technicians
Our global service network encompasses over 40 countries for shorter response times
Unique service tools for the best service quality
Fast delivery times on spare parts
Globally standardized service offering, digital documentation and certificates

Find out more in our latest service brochure linked below.

Increase Productivity with Expert Service

FAQs

How can I prevent over-filling and under-filling of pet food?

Pet food checkweighers offer precise weight measurement of pet food and pet food packaging. Checkweighers from METTLER TOLEDO provide feedback to filling machines, enabling real-time adjustments to correct over-filling and under-filling errors. Their hygienic design stands up to the harsh cleaning routines required in wet pet food production environments, and the tool-less disassembly and reassembly makes cleaning and maintenance faster.

How is metal detection used in the pet food industry?

Pet food manufacturers use industrial metal detectors for pet food to detect ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless-steel metal contaminants in pet food products before they leave the factory. In a wet pet food production scenario, the food is usually pumped through pipes or run on conveyors, while dry food production will often involve vertical applications.

Metal contaminants can enter pet food during production through broken machinery, accidental introduction by employees, or via raw materials from suppliers. Preventing metal-contaminated pet food from reaching store shelves reduces the risk of unsafe products being ingested by pets. METTLER TOLEDO metal detection systems are capable of performing inspections in vertical and pipeline applications as well as conveyorized systems, allowing manufacturers to place them where they are most effective.

Foreign body detection for pet food products

How is x-ray inspection used in the pet food industry?

X-ray inspection is used for foreign body contamination detection in pet food, and is also used to perform completeness checks of packages. X-ray systems for pet food can detect and reject contaminants such as plastic, glass, bone, rubber, metal and stones, and can be placed at the critical control points along all areas of the production line.

How can I detect foreign body contamination in pet food?

Physical contamination detection in pet food can be achieved by utilizing metal detection systems to identify metal contaminants at the start of production, in-processing and end of line. X-ray inspection systems also detect metal, as well plastic, glass, rubber, stone, minerals, or bone. The choice between metal detection or x-ray can be down to a number of factors, including budget and the likely types of contamination as identified in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) audit.

You can read more about this in our Metal Detection, X-ray or Both Guide.

How do I minimize labeling issues with pet food?

The best method for avoiding labeling issues on pet food products – including mislabeling, poorly-applied labeling or poorly printed labels – is to implement vision inspection processes to visually inspect package labels for accurate content and acceptable quality. Installing a machine vision system on the production line can be one of the most efficient ways to inspect product labels. Vision inspection systems for pet food perform automated label content and quality checks on every package as it travels along the production line, identifying packages with labels that fail to fit your quality control standards. Implementing this kind of process can help to keep manufacturers compliant with pet food labeling regulations and guidelines, by automatically removing any products that have missing or incomplete information on the label.

Are there regulations on pet food?

Governments do regulate the production of pet food, covering (in general) accurate labeling, advertising claims, the use of additives and accurate net weight display. In the United States and Canada, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) publishes guidance for pet food packaging and production, while in the European Union, guidance is provided by FEDIAF, the European Pet Food Industry.

What are the AAFCO Labeling guidelines for the US and Canada?

The AAFCO guidelines provide a standardization of the display of nutritional information, ingredient statements and instructions for storage and handling. Visit the AAFCO website for more information.

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Quality Assurance and Product Inspection for Pet Food Manufacturers

Pet Food Product Inspection

Pet Food Product Inspection Solutions

Metal Detection

X-ray Inspection

Checkweighing

Vision Inspection

Combination Systems